Volkswagen has been announcing electric versions of its GTI models with teasers for years. The small ID.GTI concept from 2023 gave the first real glimpse of the high-performance electric car, while the company recently announced the arrival of the ID.3 GTI model on the European market next year. The arrival of the electric Golf GTI has also been confirmed, and now new details have emerged about the upcoming electric powerful hatchback. In an interview with AutoExpress, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said that the new electric Golf GTI is coming before the end of the decade and that it will be a “monster.”
“At the end of the decade we are bringing the electric Golf GTI and it will be a monster of a car. I am very pleased with the progress, it is great. That car has to be exciting and authentic. If we are bringing a GTI, then it has to be a true GTI,” said Schäfer.
But that’s not all, because Schäfer also confirmed the arrival of the previously speculated electric Golf R. The electric Golf R will have four-wheel drive, while the electric Golf GTI will retain front-wheel drive.
The Golf GTI and R will be based on the new SSP platform of the Volkswagen Group, which will also be used for other models, but also for other brands such as Å koda and Lamborghini. This scalable platform uses “amazing” technology.
“We’ve driven several prototypes on the new platform, which is incredible. If you’re wondering about the sound, overall feel and handling, it’s all doable,” said the Volkswagen director.
An electric Golf GTI won’t appear for the next five years, which means that the wait for the Golf R will be even longer. The first electric car in Volkswagen’s GTI model range will be the ID.2 intended exclusively for the European market. It is actually the production version of the ID.GTI concept, which appeared two years ago. The ID.3 GTI will appear in Europe next year.
