Volkswagen’s Up GTi Is Very Real and Now Official

Yes you are reading correctly and since it is not the first of April you can bet your bottom dollar that this is real.

Introducing the 113 horsepower Up GTi powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. If you know your GTi’s, you will know that this junior hot hatch packs more power than the very first Golf GTi. So what do you need to know?

• Starting price expected to be around £15,000 and going on sale early next year
• Taking aim at the likes of the Fiat 500 Abarth
• Kerb weight of 997kg means power-to-weight ratio of 113.3bhp/tonne
• Sound actuator provides a synthetically generated exhaust note
• Volkswagen claims a 0-100 km/h time of 8.8sec and a top speed of 196 km/h
• Retuned MacPherson strut (front) and torsion beam (rear) suspension with unique spring and damper rates
• 15mm reduction in ride height over existing Up models
• Classic GTi cues used for styling upgrades
• There will also be a five-door Up GTi available at some stage
• Five colours to choose from: Tornado Red, Pure White, Dark Silver, Black Pearl and Costa Azul (new)
• Inside you get a “red pixel” trim within the dashboard
• Multi-function flat bottom steering wheel with the red stitching

What are your thoughts on this micro GTi? Worth it or waste of time?