Volkswagen ID. GTI concept previews upcoming electric hot hatch

Volkswagen has disclosed plans for a powered-up, high-performance variant of its upcoming electric ID.2 city hatch with the unveiling of the ID. GTI, a production-ready concept car intended to pay homage to the original first-generation VW Golf GTI.

Unveiled at the Munich motor show, the compact front-wheel-drive hot hatch is set to lead Volkswagen's upcoming ID.2 entry-level electric-car line-up with a front-mounted electric motor, sports suspension, and traditional GTI design cues.

It is anticipated to carry a starting price of about €30,000 ($A55,000). A Volkswagen Golf GTI today is priced from €40,000 in Germany.

“Production [of the ID GTI] has already been decided as part of our electric offensive,” Volkswagen brand CEO, Thomas Schaefer, said in a media statement.

Although no official date has yet been announced for its launch, the production version of the ID. GTI is expected to follow standard versions of the ID.2 into showrooms by about a year, indicating a late 2026 introduction in European markets.

An Australian launch is tipped to follow – as VW Australia has expressed its interest in the new ID.2 range, and Australia is a top market for Volkswagen performance cars.

Confirmation of the new powered-up ID.2 comes after Mr Schaefer said he was seeking to ensure long-standing Volkswagen names such as GTI are retained on future electric models.

As with petrol models in the past, the GTI name is planned to be applied exclusively to front-wheel-drive performance models in the electric era.

The more recently-introduced GTX name will continue to be seen on all-wheel-drive electric performance models, with the R badge set to be applied to even hotter all-wheel-drive electric models in the future, according to Volkswagen.

The basis for the ID. GTI is the same shortened version of Volkswagen’s existing MEB electric-vehicle platform as that planned for less powerful versions of the ID.2.

It houses a front-mounted electric motor and what Volkswagen describes as a “large” battery.

Technical details are yet to be made public, however Volkswagen officials confirm development of the new ID.2 GTI has been twinned with the range-topping version of the upcoming front-wheel drive Cupra Raval.

The Cupra is claimed to develop up to 166kW – sufficient to provide it with a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds and a claimed driving range of up to 440km, according to the Volkswagen Group-owned Spanish car maker – in its ultimate form.

As with the first-generation Golf and its genre-defining GTI sibling, the ID.2 and ID. GTI share the same bodywork.

Inspired by the simplistic styling of the original Golf – penned by famed Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro – it has been imbued with a number of classic GTI design touches.

Included within the ID. GTI’s new-look front end is a deeper bumper with pronounced air curtains, and vertically-stacked LED daytime driving lights on either side. The lower section houses a contrasting black air duct with honeycomb-shaped detailing and red tow hooks.

The area around the headlamps and horizontal light bar receives further black detailing and a red outline, echoing the grille treatment of the original Golf GTI.

The Volkswagen badge also carries illumination in white for added emphasis during night-time driving. The headlights get Volkswagen’s IQ Light matrix LED technology.

There is plastic cladding within the wheel arches, 20-inch wheels in a double eight-spoke design and prominent sills with GTI logos underneath the doors, all in black. The mirror housings also sport a two-tone colour treatment, while further GTI badges in red appear within the leading part of each of the front doors.

At the rear, the ID. GTI’s hatchback houses a larger spoiler element than that applied to the standard ID.2, while there are also new 3D tail-light graphics, a VW badge illuminated in red, further GTI graphics, and a black valance within the lower section of the rear bumper.

The sporting stance of the new Volkswagen is enhanced by a 15mm lowering in ride height.

"I already had the GTI in mind when I first put pen to paper for the ID.2. It is now becoming a reality and allowing us to project the GTI idea into the new age of electric mobility," Volkswagen design boss Andreas Mindt said in a media statement.

At 4104mm in length, 1840mm in width and 1499mm in height, the most powerful of Volkswagen’s planned ID.2 models is 37mm longer, 89mm wider and 61mm higher than the existing fourth-generation Polo GTI.

It also sits on a wheelbase that is 40mm longer than the petrol-engined Polo GTI, at 2600mm, giving it suitably short overhangs front and rear.

By comparison, the original Golf GTI measures 3820mm in length, 1610mm in width and 1410mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2400mm.

Traditional GTI design elements continue inside with a three-spoke steering wheel featuring a red 12 o’clock marker, chequered “Jack-e” set upholstery, while the central rotary dial for the so-called 'GTI Experience Control' system is designed to mimic the golf ball style gear knob of the original Golf GTI.

The ID. GTI’s digital displays offer a series of different layouts. In Vintage mode, the 10.9-inch digital instrument display in front of the driver adopts the look of the analogue instruments used by the facelifted version of the original Golf GTI.

The 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen also offers varying themes with design links to the past, while the head-up display projects information onto the windscreen for both the driver and front passenger.

Among the conceptual touches is a red LED pulse sensor incorporated within the backrest of the driver’s seat.

As with the standard ID.2, Volkswagen claims the ID. GTI can accommodate up to five. Boot space is put at a nominal 490 litres, with up to 1330 litres available when the rear seat is folded down.

An additional 50-litre lockable storage compartment underneath the rear seat is conceived to house the charging cable and other items.