The back story!
Our only look at the electric future of the GTI has been through the ID.GTI Concept, revealed last year at the IAA Mobility Show in Munich, Germany. Based on the upcoming ID.2 platform, the concept’s power and suspension details were unknown, although VW did share its battery capacities, with the choice either a 38-kWh or a 56-kWh battery pack. The concept was also rumored to have more than 220 hp, making it similar to the gas-powered GTI currently on sale.
Significant adjustments have definitely been made to the eighth-generation GTI for the 2024 model year, although the American market will not be treated to the recent addition of the hot Golf GTI Clubsport model.
Claim to fame!
Moving forward, VW promises that the first-ever GTI EV will hold the claim as having the best chassis and suspension the hot hatch has ever had! It will be even more exciting to experience and drive, we are told, although that may be hard to believe! While people are quick to dismiss new technologies that deviate from the familiar, in this case, progress may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to this first EV hot hatch!
The GTI has not been that brute force when you come to think about it, with a standout in its lineage being most likely the VR6. In targeting an EV, giving it outstanding feel and handling and going back to classics like the Mk1 and Mk5, the goal of an agile steering feel and a smooth drive is achieved.
This promise of this exciting drive has been a year in the making, beginning with VW’s intention to make an electric GTI. The ID.GTI Concept, which did not preview an electric Golf GTI but rather a smaller car, will evolve into a production model in 2026 for the European market, and VW wants its hot hatch to be in the United States at a price point of $25,000, perhaps wishful thinking at this point in time.
VW’s big boss in Wolfsburg had much to say about the first GTI without a combustion engine, hyping the electric GTI and promising that its suspension and chassis will be at an even higher level than the gas model on sale today.
The goal is “to produce a car that isn’t just about performance,” he said, but one that’s “even more exciting to experience and drive.”
The car is expected to even “sound” exciting, with a GTI e-sound and artificial engine noise expected to be pumped through the speakers. This new model will embody the DNA spirit of the gasoline GTI but into the electric age, Schafer continued, with high power and an iconic design. Speaking of iconic, the three iconic letters that stand for Grand Touring Injection will be replaced by a lightning bolt for the performance EVs.
With a goal to have electric cars account for at least 80 percent of annual sales in Europe by 2030, VW is in line with other luxury brands like Bentley, Porsche and Audi, all of which have recently altered their EV goals.
Will the Electric GTI be more exciting than the Gas-Powered GTI? Many are saying yes, but only time will tell. This battery-powered hot hatch is expected to arrive soon, and bragging rights may just hold true!