Volkswagen is preparing to expand the GTI performance brand across multiple model lines in the electric era - and CEO Thomas Schäfer says the hot new models will be "mind-blowing" to drive.
The company is preparing to take GTI electric in 2026 with the production version of the ID GTI concept - which will be the hot range-topping variant of the ID 2 supermini.
A potent version of the electric ninth-generation Golf will follow by the end of the decade - and these two cars will "start a whole group of GTI" models due to be rolled out in the coming years across Volkswagen's electric line-up.
Schäfer revealed that work is well under way on development of the first GTI EVs and he pledged that they will remain true to the characteristics of every GTI model that has gone before.
"First of all: can you make an electric Golf exciting? Absolutely," he said. "We have driven a few prototypes that we have built on the new set-up and it is mind-blowing."
Schäfer said the overarching priority of the electric GTI engineering programme is to make these next-gen hot hatchbacks feel obviously different from the standard car. "What about the sound? What about the total feel? The handling and so on can be done," he said.
But it will be a few years before Volkswagen shows a production-ready electric Golf GTI, with today's petrol-powered car due to remain on sale well into the second half of the 2020s.
Schäfer said: "We have time now, as the Golf is running very well into the end of this decade, and at the end of the decade, we'll bring an electric Golf."
He added that his experience of the prototypes suggests the next GTI will be "a monster car".
"I'm very happy with the progress," he said. "It's cool and you can make it exciting. It has to be exciting and it has to be authentic."
Schäfer did not give any indication of when Volkswagen will reveal the final version of the ID 2 GTI, but the standard car is due to be launched in early 2026, which is also the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original Mk1 Golf GTI - opening the possibility of a debut at the firm's annual GTI festival in Wolfsburg next summer.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen plans to mark the occasion with a new special 50th anniversary version of today's Golf GTI at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in June.
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"What about the sound?"
I just don't understand why anyone gives a fly*** f*** about the "sound" of an EV. Any EV's base background noise setting should be "as quiet as possible", allowing one to truly enjoy the nice stereo that probably goes with it.
If some legacy owners need some fake-sound thumb-suck that sounds like an ICE car, or a spaceship, or whatever, that's fine. But *don't* make it the default experience, and don't fail to optimise for minimizing tyre-roar and wind noise. That's sooo boomer / genX.
Performance is getting irrelevant, if your car hasn't got more than 400 BHP it's at the bottom of the fast car food chain,maybe we should be looking at a car we would be happy with, a car that's cheap to run, reliable goes without saying, sitt in your car clenching the steering wheel like it's a matter of life or death, as said, speed is boring after a while, it's so easy,yep, we're heading for a white goods car society.
Mind-blowing in what way? It will charge in less than 5 minutes? It will do 400 miles, with every electrical device on in winter? It won't weigh 2 tons? It won't cost more in insurance? It won't chew through tyres? It won't go through brake pads and discs? It won't be worthless after 5 years? It won't be written off, if in a minor crash? This obsession with 0-60 figures is a waste of time, as the novelty wears off after the 8th go. My Mrs wouldn't get in the car, if I kept on doing that for no reason. The road must be clear of all cars in any case. It's just a show-off thing (look at what my car can do) to mates or anyone else. My next car will be still a petrol or diesel car. I don't like Hybrids. Extra weight, extra cost, more things to go wrong, little if any benefit. I just want to get in or out my car, without even thinking, should I charge the car or not, none of this plugging in nonsense.
So much drivel and inaccuracies, the break discs one in particular made me laugh.
After 25 years of this EV nonsense, we all can laugh at EV owners. As they are the dumbest customers ever. Kwit-Fit and tyre retailers, any garage, laughs and book their holidays when any EV owner comes in for repairs. They are the best repeat customers, driving their two ton tanks. The only drivel and inaccuracies, like EV mileage, comes from EV owners like you.
I wouldn't mention dumb if I were you. EV primarily use the engine to break. My EV is 5 years old and just had the MOT done, the break pads still have a long life left in them, let alone the disks.
Also, I only had to replace 2 tyres on the car in 5 years, nothing else to repair or replace, not one visit to a garage other than MOT and service!!
And yeah, your rant is a dumb drivel driven by your ignorance and prejudice.
So your 5 year old car is now worthless, as stated by various manufacturers who refuse to take any EV in part-exchange. Just two tyres in 5 years? What mileage do you do, 1k pa? EV needs a service? I thought they didn't need anything. Two ton tanks (EVs) need more tyres, more pads, all stated by the car industry. Costs more to charge than buying petrol, unless using 8 hour charging at home. Your rant in defence of EVs is so funny. Hope you don't have a Tesla. Or any EV that need software updates to run. Candidate for bankruptcy soon. Vegans, vegetarians, Labour voters and EV owners, are all the same, dumb. Vroom, vroom, I love the smell of petrol in the morning. Or an EV burning. Buying an EV is like buying a Zune.
Your brain is worthless.
You're so wrong, again, I don't have an EV car.