The VW Golf GTi is Dead. Long Live The EV Golf GTi!
We hoped.
We prayed.
We crossed everything we could cross in fevered anticipation.
And now we can confirm that our wildest dreams are set to become reality with official news that the Golf GTi is to be reborn.
OK.
We’re being a tad overly dramatic.
But you’ll sagely nod when we say that the Golf GTi is dead. Long live the EV Golf GTi.
Say What?...
Technically not a Golf GTi, but instead a Volkswagen hatchback that looks suspiciously like a Golf GTi but is powered solely by electric.
So is essentially a Golf GTi EV.
Yet Veedub is neglecting to refer to it as that despite the fact that we all know it’s a futureproof Golf GTi.
Seemingly unable to pronounce the word, ‘Golf’ any more after four decades of practice, the new EV ‘Golf’ GTi (sorry, hard habit to break, we meant the ID. GTi Concept) is based on the current Volkswagen ID.2all.
Which is for all intents and purposes what a Golf GTi would look like if it was electrified.
So, What Makes Us Keep Bleating On About the ID. GTi Concept As If It’s Still a Golf?
Well, numerous signature Golf GTi reference points haven’t ended up on the cutting room floor. And indeed appear within the aesthetic of the new generation of VW GTi hatchback.
Including the red grille surround, the flared wheel arches, kerb-appealing alloys and perhaps most telling of all; the iconic chequered upholstery.
Although the most poignant acknowledgement to the legacy of the seminal Golf GTi is the retaining of the instantly recognisable golf ball.
Alas, not discovered in the palm of the driver’s left hand when they’re enthusiastically changing gear, but rather chopped and repurposed as a rotary dial on the centre console.
Nevertheless, a nice touch, Volkswagen.
Other nostalgia trips (manifest via the most modern of tech interfacing) we’re very much onboard with include the 10.9” digital cockpit ahead of the driver.
Which when switched to ‘vintage’ mode presents an instrument panel which mirrors the original Golf GTi.
Which as it happens was launched some 48 years to the very week.
What Else Do We Know About The New ID. GTi Concept At This Very Early Stage?
It will be front wheel drive, that much is set in stone.
It will also benefit from the electronic, front locking differential that’s a mainstay of the full caffeine Golf GTi and GTi Clubsport.
Elsewhere, LED daytime and matrix headlights, a motorsport-inspired front bumper, front splitter, two-part rear diffuser and roof spoiler feature prominently, and all finished in typical GTi matt black.
Yup. Just like you’d find on a Golf GTi.
If the ID. GTi Concept was a Golf, etc.
Meanwhile if fake engine/performance exhaust noises are your bag, you’ll be in luck.
Courtesy of the Vehicle Dynamics Manager, the driver will be able to personally configure the drive, running gear and ‘sound experience’ settings. Which will encompass faux gear change symphonies too, no doubt.
As sections of the motoring press have casually mused, the ‘i’ in ‘GTi’ will in future hint at ‘intelligence’ as opposed to the traditional ‘injection’ provenance.
Hello. What Happened To The Mysterious VW GT Lightning Strike That Was Doing The Internet Rounds Recently?
Which made us all rub our chins and scratch our heads, albeit in separate physical instances.
Well, that’s gone all quiet and seemingly looks to have been a clever VW red herring dreamt up by the marketing department.
Who Knows. But What We Do Know Is VW CEO, Thomas Schafer Is Mightily Impressed With What He Sees
So much so that he said this.
“(the ID. GTi Concept is) the perfect combination of driving pleasure and everyday usability,” going on to add, “that is what the three letters GTI have meant for decades.”
Schafer continued, “With the ID. GTi Concept, we are transporting the GTi DNA into the electric age. It remains sporty, iconic, technologically progressive and accessible, but now has a new interpretation for tomorrow’s world.”
Which has nothing to do with Maggie Philbin and everything to do with being electric, fully connected and extremely emotive, apparently.
In The Meantime, WCC Can Preserve Your Current VW Golf GTi
Simply by keeping in touch with the team and booking in with us whenever your Volkswagen requires a service, diagnostics, an MOT or whatever general repairs crop up at various intervals in its lifecycle.
Or at least, its time with you.