Volkswagen is hard at work developing its first fully electric Golf GTI and according to Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, “it’ll be a monster car”.
The current Golf lineup will continue to evolve until the end of the decade, after which we’ll see the arrival of a fully electric version. This new generation will sit on VW Group’s brand-new SSP platform, and given the GTI’s legendary status, VW isn’t taking any chances with getting the formula right.
“At the end of the decade, we’ll introduce an electric Golf [GTI], and that will be a monster car,” said Schäfer. “I’m very happy with the progress. It’s cool. You can make it exciting, it has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. If we bring a GTI, it has to be a [true] GTI.”
For the folk out there who fancy the feel of the front-wheel driven GTI you will be glad to know that power will remain at the front axle.
Also on the roadmap is the first electric Golf R, which will stick to its roots with all-wheel drive and bring another bump in power to match.
Schäfer remained tight-lipped on whether the new GTI will follow in the footsteps of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which features simulated gearshifts, artificial engine noise, and a drift mode. Those features might be better suited to the more extreme electric Golf R. However, Schäfer did make mention of the GTI’s suspension setup, expected to offer the same balance of comfort and agility that’s made previous GTIs so beloved.
The very first Golf GTI delivered 108 hp (81 kW) from a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. Fast forward over five decades, and we’re looking at an all-electric GTI producing over 300 hp.
Source: AutoExpress