The Volkswagen ID.GTI concept car is an electric version of the legendary Golf GTI. Volkswagen’s top brass said the GTI nameplate will live on once the company unveils an electrified concept car. Inspired by the ID.2all prototype shown off earlier this year, it recalls the legacy of Golf GTIs past. The production model will debut in 2026 and hit stores the following year, according to company officials. Rob Hull 4 September 2023, 2:36:36 EDT Advertisement
Concerns that the legendary GTI hot hatch emblem may be discontinued after this year’s announcement that Volkswagen would not be developing a new combustion-engine Golf. But have no fear; Volkswagen assures us that the iconic performance brand will survive the company’s transition to electrified vehicles within the next decade.
And to drive home this point, it has introduced the ID.GTI idea, a battery-powered hot hatch that pays homage to the beloved Golf, which has been around since 1976.It’s been exactly 48 years since the first GTI was introduced to the world. German brand executives have called it “just a show car” for the time being, but they have promised a consumer version by 2027.
When Volkswagen goes electric, the GTI nameplate will remain in use. Volkswagen claims that its GTI performance brand and electrified vehicles are a perfect marriage.
This is because EVs can release their full power and torque in a flash, making them perfect for performance cars like hot hatchbacks. What the first GTI powered solely by a battery would look like is hinted at by the radical ID.GTI. The ID.2all is based on a prototype introduced in March for the ID.2 supermini due in 2026, which is expected to cost from under £22,000, and features an aero package that will make every boy racer go crazy with its huge wings, spoilers, and splitters.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen, has stated that the production version of the ID.GTI will be unveiled in 2026, with initial deliveries beginning in the first half of 2027.Even while VW has hinted at a ‘big battery’ powering the prototype, details on the vehicle’s propulsion system remain scarce.The ID.GTI is based on the ID.2all idea exhibited some months ago, which gives a choice of two unit units: a 38kWh and 56kWh unit that provides the longest range of 280 miles and is connected to a 226hp e-motor mounted on the front axle.
It almost certainly has the larger battery and more potent electric motor of the two options. German company executives have stated that the company’s forthcoming electric GTIs will keep the front-wheel-drive philosophy of the company’s legendary gasoline Golf GTIs.
However, the ID.GTI concept’s differential lock is electronically controlled by a ‘Vehicle Dynamics Manager’ system to modulate power against available traction to prevent the wheels from spinning up with every depress of the throttle pedal. This is necessary because the ID.GTI concept’s EV drivetrain delivers an abundance of grunt. The company also claims that the hot hatch’s sophisticated management system can fine-tune the package to make it “almost infinitely variable,” or switch between the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personas, depending on the circumstances.
For instance, the ID.GTI will offer a driving mode that transforms the vehicle into a nimble and comfortable vehicle for commuting to and from school. After dropping the kids off at the front gates, the driver can crank up the performance for a quick trip back home or to the office. The concept car’s newly created ‘GTI Experience Control’ allows for such customizations. Here the driver can choose how they’d like the ID’s engine to perform. The GTI Concept should always have. You can even customize the experience to reflect the feel of classic Golf GTIs by selecting from a menu of pre-loaded options. The first Golf GTI I was released in 1976, the first Golf GTI II 16V was released in 1986, and the legendary Golf GTI IV ’25 years of GTI’ was released in 2001, all of which have their own unique drive systems, running gear, steering, sound experience, and simulated shift points.Because of this,
IDs a kes. The Volkswagen GTI Concept is a “highly dynamic time machine,” the company says. According to Schäfer, “the perfect combination of driving pleasure and everyday usability – that is what the three letters GTI have meant for decades” in reference to the continuation of its GTI models when the brand switches solely to electric models around 2033.That’s why.
GTI Idea, we’re bringing the GTI genes into the modern era of electricity.While retaining its traditional hallmarks of sportiness, iconography, technical advancement, and approachability, the car has been reimagined for the world of tomorrow as electric, totally connected, and intensely emotional.
The combination of eco-friendliness and fun behind the wheel is unparalleled here.Many people across the world who enjoy driving hot hatches will be pleased to hear his next statement: “This means GTI has a future – for our brand and for the fans.”As part of our electric offensive, production has been decided. Volkswagen’s electric sports car is “100% electric – 100% emotion,” and it’s practical enough for daily use.Appearances that would excite admirers of hot hatchbacks Volkswagen’s head of design, Andreas Mindt, who also designed the ID.2all prototype upon which it is based, said, “With the ID.
With the GTI Concept, Volkswagen is demonstrating the promising future of the GTI ideology.”The potent ID. 2all seems to me to be the ideal foundation for an electric GTI.”When I first started sketching up the ID. 2all, I had the GTI in mind. The vision of the GTI may now be extended into the era of electric mobility.Like the first generation Mk1 GTI, it “follows the principle of the design and technology of an affordable large-series model,” according to the automaker.
Have your measuring tape ready; it measures 4,104 millimeters in length but has a wheelbase of 2,600 millimeters. To give you an idea of scale, it’s somewhat longer than the current VW Polo but has a wheelbase and cabin size on par with the current Mk8 Golf. With dimensions of 1,499 millimeters in height and 1,840 millimeters in width, it is more in line with the larger C-segment family hatchbacks. When the rear seats are in their upright position, the trunk holds 490 liters of cargo, but that increases to 1,330 liters when the rear seats are folded down. The ID. has a much larger trunk than the Mk8 Golf’s meager 380 liters.
The utility of GTI is debatable. The concept rides on massive 20-inch alloy wheels, typical of prototypes, and the Diamond Silver Metallic paintwork is an exact color match for the original Golf GTI.The bright red GTI details, such as the grille surround and emblems, are essential to the vehicle’s identity as a GTI.There is an IQ set under the red bar.White illumination of the VW logo is interspersed with the matrix of headlights’ LED bulbs.
A splitter borrowed from motorsports is mounted on the front bumper, and the GTI’s signature honeycomb air intake is flanked by air curtains that direct airflow to the wheel wells, where it cools the brakes, and then away from the body, where turbulence is reduced and aerodynamic performance is improved.
The ID. 2all borrows the Golf’s C-pillar design for its own profile, which is complemented by the hatchback’s powerful side sills and wheel arches.
The ID.GTI’s trunk lid features a black roof spoiler and ‘air guiding components’ on either side, while the car’s lower trunk diffuser is split into two halves. Interior design inspired on the Golf GTI Inside, efforts to maintain tradition persist.Cloth seats with the iconic GTI chequer pattern remain, as does the golf ball-shaped gear knob.
In the digital gauge cluster, selecting “Vintage mode” lets the driver pick between a number of restored analog gauges rendered in stunning high definition. A new GTI head-up display shows data not just in front of the driver, but also on the windshield in front of the front passenger.If the driver continues to the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in GTI mode, the course and the car’s position are digitally laid out on the glass.Is a GTI version of the ID.2 possible after its release to the public in 2026? Volkswagen has dropped hints that this is possible. AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORSPORTS: IN THE FIELD
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