VW Says the Electric GTI Will Be 'More Exciting' to Drive

Volkswagen boss touts superior chassis and suspension compared to the gas GTI.

Volkswagen ID. GTI Concept

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Updated: Aug 5, 2024 at 4:49am ET

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It’s been nearly a year since Volkswagen signaled its intention to do an electric GTI. The ID. GTI Concept will evolve into a production model in 2026 for the European market. VW wants the hot hatch in the United States at a $25,000 price point but it's only wishful thinking at this point. Meanwhile, our colleagues at Motor1 Italy had a chat with the big boss in Wolfsburg about the first GTI without a combustion engine.

Thomas Schäfer didn't miss the occasion to hype up the electric GTI, saying its suspension and chassis "will be at an even higher level" compared to the gas model on sale today. The goal is "to produce a car that isn't just about performance" but one that's "even more exciting to experience and drive." The high-ranked official from VW also mentioned the car will have a "GTI e-sound," so expect artificial engine noise to be pumped through the speakers.

Volkswagen ID. GTI Concept (2023)

It's worth noting the ID. GTI Concept did not preview an electric Golf GTI but rather a smaller car. The performance-oriented show car from last year's IAA Mobility in Munich was based on the ID. 2all, a Polo-sized electric hatchback. The supermini is still sold in Europe as a GTI with a combustion engine, a 2.0-liter turbo four-pot making 204 horsepower. Before its demise in 2023, the even smaller up! GTI was still offered with a turbo three-cylinder 1.0-liter engine rated at 115 hp.

Another all-electric Golf after the Mk7-based model isn't due until closer to the end of the decade when the Mk9 is scheduled to come out. The current Mk8 Golf with gas engines might live to see 2035 as VW isn't ruling out selling two generations concomitantly for several years. The Golf turns 50 this year and the GTI will reach the same milestone in 2025.

Technically, the Scirocco GTI was the first GTI to hit the assembly line. It entered series production in the summer of 1976 while the Golf GTI followed later that fall. However, VW took the wraps off the first Golf GTI at the 1975 IAA show in Frankfurt.

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Speaking at the GTI Fan Fest in Wolfsburg, Schäfer told Motor1 Italy that VW can transfer the "DNA spirit [of the gasoline GTI] into the electric age." He went on to say the GTIs that will eschew ICE power will deliver "high performance and iconic design" while remaining instantly recognizable. Those three iconic letters stand for Grand Touring Injection but a logo trademark from last year indicated the "I" will be replaced by a lightning bolt for the performance EVs.

During the same interview, VW's head honcho reiterated the German automaker still wants electric cars to account for at least 80 percent of annual sales in Europe by 2030. VW Group luxury brands such as Bentley, Porsche, and Audi have recently revised their EV goals, admitting gas cars are likely to stick around for longer than originally estimated.