With news earlier this year that Volkswagen will not be releasing a new combustion-engine Golf, there have been concerns that it could spell the end of the iconic GTI hot hatch badge.
But fear not, as VW says its legendary performance logo will live on when it switches exclusively to electric cars within the next decade.
And to hammer home this sentiment, it has debuted the ID.GTI concept – a battery-powered spiritual successor to the adored Golf hot hatch spanning back to 1976.
It comes exactly 48 years on from the world debut of the original GTI. And while bosses at the German brand say it is ‘just a show car’ for now, they confirmed a production version will be on sale by 2027… and for a relatively affordable price.
How the Golf GTI’s spiritual successor will look in an all-electric age: This is the new VW ID.GTI Concept – a battery-powered hot hatch unveiled by the German car giant as bosses confirm the iconic performance badge will live on
Volkswagen: The GTI badge WILL live on when the brand goes electric
VW says electric cars and its GTI performance logo is a match made in heaven.
This is because of the way in which electric vehicles (EVs) can dispatch maximum power and torque with lightning-fast urgency – an ideal scenario for any sporty hot hatchback.
And the extreme ID.GTI signals what the first battery-only GTI could look like.
The first VW Golf GTI was debuted in 1975 but went on sale for the first time a year later. Sunday’s unveiling of the ID.GTI Concept has come almost exactly 48 years after the original Mk1 GTI was showcased
There has been eight generations of the VW Golf GTI across a 47-year lifespan. There have been concerns that VW’s shift to EVs could kill off the much-loved GTI performance badge
This is the last of the petrol generation of Golf GTI – the Mk8 model. Various special edition and Clubsport versions have been released since this ‘standard’ model debuted
It wouldn’t be a GTI without retaining the bright red GTI touches, including the surround of the grille and all the badges
The red strip sits below a set of IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, which are framed by a horizontal LED bar while the VW badge sits between and illuminates white
VW says electric cars and its GTI performance badge is a match made in heaven. This is because of the way in which EVs can dispatch maximum power and torque with lightning-fast urgency – an ideal scenario for any sporty hot hatchback
It’s based on an existing VW concept car called the ID.2all – itself a prototype debuted back in March that previews its ID.2 supermini due in 2026, which will reportedly cost from under £22,000 – though with an aero package to send every boy racer into a frenzy with huge wings, spoilers and splitters.
Volkswagen ceo Thomas Schäfer says a production version of the ID.GTI is due to be revealed in 2026 and first deliveries arriving in early 2027.
Prices are expected to start from around €30,000 – in the UK, that’s just £26,000, which would put it among the most affordable EVs on sale in Britain currently.
VW has yet to confirm the concept’s drivetrain, though has said it will use a ‘large battery’.
The ID.2all concept shown months earlier – and on which the ID.GTI is based – comes with the choice of two unit units – a 38kWh and 56kWh unit that offers the longest range of 280 miles – linked to a 226hp e-motor on the front axle. The likelihood is it has the bigger of the two battery choices and a more powerful electric motor.
The ID.GTI Concept is based on the ID.2all prototype, which itself was unveiled in March as the pre-production teaser for the forthcoming ID.2. The compact supermini will become VW’s cheapest EV, costing less than £22,000, bosses promise
The ID.GTI Concept is 4,104mm and has a wheelbase of 2,600mm. To put that into context, it’s fractionally longer than the existing VW Polo but with a wheelbase and interior space similar to the current Mk8 Golf
VW has yet to confirm the concept’s drivetrain, though has said it will use a ‘large battery’. The ID.2all concept shown months earlier – and on which the ID.GTI is based – comes with the choice of two unit units – a 38kWh and 56kWh unit that offers the longest range of 280 miles – linked to a 226hp e-motor on the front axle
The likelihood is it has the bigger of the two battery choices and a more powerful electric motor. And VW bosses said all GTI variants for the future will continue to send power only to the front wheels, as has been the case with Golf GTIs of the past
Bosses at the German outfit say its future electric GTIs will retain the half-century ethos of its much-loved petrol Golf GTIs by delivering power to just the front wheels.
However, due to the abundance of grunt its EV drivetrain delivers, the ID.GTI concept has been equipped with a unique differential lock – which is electronically controlled by a ‘Vehicle Dynamics Manager’ system – to modulate power against available traction to prevent the wheels from spinning up with every dab of the throttle pedal.
And the manufacturer says the intelligent management system will also be able to ‘almost infinitely vary’ the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde characteristic of hot hatches by fine tune the package depending on the scenario.
For instance, a driver will be able to select a driving mode that makes the ID.GTI a smooth-handling school-run hatchback.
But then once the kids have been dropped off at the school gates, they can wind the performance up to eleven for a sporty dash back home or to their place of work.
To make these adjustments, the concept car features a newly developed ‘GTI Experience Control’ on the centre console. This is where the driver can choose which characteristics the powertrain of the ID. GTI Concept should have at any given moment.
And the concept even allows you to choose a variety of pre-loaded settings designed to mimic Golf GTIs of old.
‘For the first time, it is possible to adjust the drive system, running gear, steering, sound experience and even the simulated shift points in the style of one of the historical GTI models – such as the Golf GTI I from 1976, the first Golf GTI II 16V from 1986 or the legendary Golf GTI IV ‘25 years of GTI’ from 2001.
‘This makes the ID. GTI Concept a highly dynamic time machine,’ Volkswagen states.
Incredibly, the new ID.GTI Concept not only has adjustable driving modes but settings designed to mimic the characteristics of previous-generation Golf GTIs, like the Mk2 model pictured
VW bosses said: ‘GTI has a future – for our brand and for the fans’. Thomas Schäfer, ceo, added: ‘Production has already been decided as part of our electric offensive. A Volkswagen sports car for the electric age that is suitable for everyday driving: 100% electric – 100% emotion’
The German car giant says its proportions – like that of the original Mk1 GTI – ‘follows the principle of the design and technology of an affordable large-series model
Speaking about the continuation of its GTI models when the brand shifts exclusively to electric models around 2033, Schäfer said: ‘The perfect combination of driving pleasure and everyday usability – that is what the three letters GTI have meant for decades.
‘With the ID. GTI Concept, we are transporting the GTI DNA into the electric age.
‘It remains sporty, iconic, technologically progressive and accessible, but now has a new interpretation for tomorrow’s world: electric, fully connected and extremely emotive. Here, driving pleasure and sustainability are a perfect match.’
And, in words that will have plenty of hot hatch fans around the globe celebrating, he added: ‘This means GTI has a future – for our brand and for the fans.
‘Production has already been decided as part of our electric offensive. A Volkswagen sports car for the electric age that is suitable for everyday driving: 100 per cent electric – 100 per cent emotion.’
Looks that will send hot-hatch fans into a frenzy
The concept’s Diamond Silver Metallic paintwork on the model shown is a like-for-like colour match to the first-generation Golf GTI
The ID.GTI Concept’s aero package is enough to send any boy racer into a frenzy with its huge wings, spoilers and splitters
Andreas Mindt, head of design of the Volkswagen brand, who also penned the shape of the ID.2all protoype on which it is based, added: ‘With the ID. GTI Concept, we are showing what a great future the GTI philosophy has at Volkswagen.
‘In my opinion, the powerful ID. 2all is the perfect basis for an electric GTI.
‘I already had the GTI in mind when I first put pen to paper for the ID. 2all. It is now becoming reality and allowing us to project the GTI idea into the new age of electric mobility.’
The car giant says its proportions – like that of the original Mk1 GTI – ‘follows the principle of the design and technology of an affordable large-series model’.
Tape measure at the ready, in comes in at 4,104mm long but with an extended wheelbase of 2,600mm. To put that into context, it’s fractionally longer than the existing VW Polo but with a wheelbase and interior space similar to the current Mk8 Golf. It’s 1,499mm high and 1,840mm wide, which is more comparable to the larger C-segment family hatchback.
Total storage volume – via a combination of boot and ‘froot’ – or front boot – is 490 litres with the rear backrests upright, expanding to 1,330 litres when they’re folded down.
Given the Mk8 Golf has just 380 litres of boot space, the ID.GTI is arguably more practical.
The concept sits on typically-prototype-style humongous 20-inch alloy wheels and even the Diamond Silver Metallic paintwork is a like-for-like colour match to the first-generation Golf GTI.
Of course, it couldn’t be a GTI without retaining the bright red GTI touches, including the surround of the grille and all the badges.
The red strip sits below a set of IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, which are framed by a horizontal LED bar while the VW badge sits between and illuminates white.
Fixed to the front bumper is a motorsport-inspired splitter and there is also an air intake with the honeycomb structure typical for a GTI and is flanked by air curtains that route the air flow to the wheelarches to cool the brakes, then away from the body to disperse turbulent air to bolster the aerodynamic performance.
The profile of the car is a familiar C-pillar design from the Golf that’s also been incorporated into the ID. 2all, which are complimented by muscular side sills and bulging wheelarches.
Round the back the ID.GTI is treated to a black roof spoiler flanked by ‘air guide elements’ at the sides, while this is mirrored lower down by a two-part rear diffuser.
Fixed to the front bumper is a motorsport-inspired splitter and there is also an air intake with the honeycomb structure typical for a GTI and is flanked by air curtains that route the air flow to the wheelarches to cool the brakes, then away from the body to disperse turbulent air to bolster the aerodynamic performance. Round the back the ID.GTI is treated to a black roof spoiler flanked by ‘air guide elements’ at the sides, while this is mirrored lower down by a two-part rear diffuser.
The profile of the car is a familiar C-pillar design from the Golf that’s also been incorporated into the ID. 2all, which are complimented by muscular side sills and bulging wheelarches
The concept sits on typically-prototype-car wheels. They’re humongous 20-inch alloys
Paying homage to the Golf GTI in the cabin
The efforts to stick with tradition continue inside.
It retains the GTI’s long-standing chequer pattern in the cloth seats and a gear knob in the design of a golf ball.
The digital instrument cluster even has a ‘Vintage mode’ that allows the user to switch between a series of high-definition repurposed versions of previous-generation dials.
he efforts to stick with tradition continue inside. It retains the GTI’s long-standing chequer pattern in the cloth seats and a gear knob in the design of a golf ball
The digital instrument cluster in the ID.GTI Concept can not only be personalised but also hark back to Golf GTIs of old. Drivers can choose the clocks and dials to look like former Golf GTIs, like that of the original (pictured)
The ID.GTI has a new head-up display that not only projects relevant information in front of the driver but also on the windscreen ahead of the passenger
If an owner takes the ID.GTI on track, the circuit map and car’s position is even laid out digitally on the glass
Additional tech includes a new GTI head-up display that not only projects relevant information in front of the driver but also on the windscreen ahead of the passenger.
And if the driver goes on to the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife in its most extreme GTI driving mode, the track and the car’s position is even laid out digitally on the glass.
With the ID.2 expected to debut in showrooms in 2026, could we see a GTI variant emerge soon after? Volkswagen has hinted this could very much be the case.
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