Volkswagen ID.2 GTI electric hot hatch imagined, but don’t hold out for an ID.2 R
A performance GTI version of the new Volkswagen ID.2 electric city hatch is said to be in the works, but an all-wheel-drive R flagship with dual motors is unlikely.
The Volkswagen GTI hot-hatch name is poised to continue in the electric-car era – and spawn a battery-powered cousin to the Polo GTI and Golf GTI – from the middle of the decade.
Volkswagen has confirmed the new ID.2 – a Polo-sized electric city hatch due in 2025, with a targeted price of less than €25,000 ($AU41,000) – will spawn a "sporty" front-wheel-drive version.
And company insiders have previously told Drive the hot-hatch ID.2 is in line to adopt the iconic GTI moniker, which would kill off the GTX badge currently affixed to hot VW electric vehicles.
However, the chances of a faster, all-wheel-drive ID.2 R flagship appear increasingly slim, as its architecture – shared with Skoda and Cupra electric cars – is not planned to support a second electric motor.
Imagined here in computer illustrations by Theottle – based on the VW ID.2all concept unveiled in March 2023 – the ID.2 GTI is likely to adopt an understated take on hot-hatch design, if today's Golf GTI and Polo GTI serve as a guide.
Upgrades shown here include a sportier front bumper with faux air intakes, unique five-spoke alloy wheels, body-coloured side skirts, a larger rear spoiler, a new rear bumper insert, and plenty of red accents.
The modern GTI's signature hero red paint has been selected, while the front licence plate wears 'ID. Golf' branding – a name previously suggested to Drive by VW insiders as an option for the production version of the ID.2all.
Powering the ID.2 GTI is expected to be the same driveline as the concept, with one front-mounted electric motor developing 166kW – more than a current Polo GTI, or a Golf GTI from a decade ago, and not far off the 180kW of today's Golf GTI.
Volkswagen claims the 166kW concept is capable of zero to 100km/h in "less than 7.0 seconds" and a 160km/h top speed, in line with the Polo GTI.
Electric hot-hatch rivals for the Volkswagen ID.2 will include the Alpine A290 from Renault's performance division, the Abarth 500e, the electric Mini JCW due in 2025, and the upcoming Ypsilon HF from Italy's revitalised Lancia brand.
As previously reported, the Volkswagen ID.2 (or ID. Golf) is being developed alongside new lower-priced electric cars from two of its sister brands, the Czech Republic's Skoda and Spain's Cupra.
The electric-car project – led by Cupra – is set to spawn four models: the ID.2 hatch, Cupra UrbanRebel (or Raval) hatch-turned-SUV, and two SUVs from Skoda and Volkswagen, to succeed today's Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Cross.
Despite the availability of SUVs in the small electric-car family, there are currently no plans for dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) on the low-priced electric-car 'MEB-21' platform being developed for the models.
However, in an interview with Australian media in March 2023, Cupra global boss Wayne Griffiths said AWD was not off the table if there is demand from Volkswagen or Skoda to justify the development cost.
"[All-wheel drive is] something I've always been pushing for and I haven't managed to get, because it's very difficult on the MEB-21 platform to get four-wheel drive, that is something I would really be wanting to have."
When asked if AWD is technically possible – if the green light is given for its development – Mr Griffiths said: "I think everything could be done, no?
"You've got to have the money to do it and make it viable, so it would have to be something that at the [VW] Group level that other brands want to use as well. Because for us on our own to afford that development would be difficult.
And the platform has not been laid out to do that, because one of our biggest objectives with that platform has been to make electric cars accessible in terms of the price level ... and to do that, you obviously have to make some compromises.
"You can't have the platform being able to do everything and at the same time be able to do a car below €25,000."
The Cupra executive said an all-wheel-drive option is still under evaluation, and could progress to production if the company deems front-wheel drive unable to meet its targets for performance.
"We have to make the Cupra version as much like an electric go-kart as we can. Whether we need all-wheel drive to do that, I don't know," Mr Griffiths said.
"We've driven the UrbanRebel itself here but that's a mockup prototype. But we have the first prototypes, we'll see how far we can get with the front-wheel drive. But I would keep it open as something we need to look at over time. A four-wheel drive [model] could be interesting."
Volkswagen has confirmed the successor to the current-generation Golf – due in 2028 – will make the switch to electric power.
It is unclear whether the Golf R – the all-wheel-drive flagship of VW's hot-hatch range – will continue into the electric era, or if VW will explore other battery-powered R vehicles once the VW R performance division goes electric from 2030.
Speaking further with Australian media, Mr Griffiths said VW's decision to let Cupra lead the project allows the company to better tailor the cars to its liking than if the electric-car platform was developed by another Volkswagen Group brand.
"We can obviously ensure that the requirements we need for Cupra get incorporated into the project," he said.
"I'll give you some examples. I think if the project had been developed outside or at Volkswagen or another brand, I don't know whether we would be getting the flush door handles and all the things that we want, that make the car very Cupra.
"We can ensure that they go in the car because we're doing the development. And also on the sporty side, the acceleration and all the Cupra requirements, in terms of being able to do an outstanding design ... ensuring however, at the same time, that there's enough differentiation."
Mr Griffiths said: "If you guys have seen the Volkswagen ... there is a clear differentiation. The cars of Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra on the same platform are going to be totally different cars and that's important that we get the differentiation."
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