Volkswagen ID 2 GTI

Concept car previews an allnew electric hot hatch with bold styling, an affordable price tag and a customisable driving experience On sale 2026 Price from £30,000 (est)

- George Hill

COULD THE VOLKSWAGEN ID 2 GTI be the most significant new hot hatch for decades? Well, the Abarth 500e may have pipped it to the post as the first electric hot hatch, but the ID 2 GTI could well define the genre - in the same way as its antecedent, the original Golf GTI, did for petrol models back in the 1970s.

Based on the upcoming Volkswagen ID 2 small electric car, which will sit below the ID 3 in the company's model line-up, the GTI is previewed here by the ID GTI Concept. It'll be powered by a single electric motor, sending its power to the front wheels - a layout that has underpinned hot hatches for decades, albeit using electric rather than petrol power. Indeed, the Abarth 500e and current Mini Electric follow the same pattern as the ID 2 GTI.

Volkswagen is yet to confirm performance, but the GTI's electric motor is likely to produce close to 300bhp for a 0-62mph time of around 6.0sec (a second quicker than the 500e).