Key Takeaways
- Volkswagen says the upcoming ID.GTI electric vehicle will be even better to drive than the gas version.
- It will have better suspension and handling and VW is even giving it an “engine” sound.
- Volkswagen plans to maintain the iconic look of the GTI while focusing on electrification, with a goal of 80% electric sales in Europe by 2030.
The march toward electrification is in full swing at Volkswagen. The company showed us the ID.GTI concept almost a year ago with the promise that it would become a production model sometime in 2026, though that date was delayed until 2027. Initially it would be for the European market, with the hope of bringing it to the US later for around $25,000. This is all a ways off, but there is some insight about what to expect when and if the car does arrive.
2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Base MSRP
- $31,965
- Base Trim Engine
- 2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas
- Base Trim Transmission
- 7-Speed Automatic
- Base Trim Horsepower
- 241 hp
- Base Trim Torque
- 273 lb-ft
According to Motor1, the GTI is going to lose none of its fun when the combustion engine is replaced by electric motors. Company boss Thomas Schäfer said Volkswagen is working to make this GTI even better than the one we have today.
He further said that the suspension and chassis system won’t simply be as good as the gas GTI, but better. It’s not purely performance focused either; this new electric hot hatchback will have better balance than the current model. There will be plenty of power, but it will also be a more engaging vehicle to drive.
The Gas Engine Is Gone, But Not the Fun Of Driving
Part of making the ID.GTI better includes giving it an engine sound. Of course, since there is no actual engine in this thing, that means it’s going to be something fake that’s pumped through the speakers. We’ve got our fingers crossed that it will actually sound good like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
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The ID.GTI concept isn’t technically an electric Golf GTI. It’s a slightly smaller car, which is something Europe will love, but the US might not be quite so keen to buy in huge numbers. The concept that was shown last year at IAA Mobility in Munich was actually based on the ID.2all, which is a smaller electric hatchback that is’nt coming to the US. Confused yet?
Related
5 Coolest Features Of The Volkswagen ID. GTI Concept
With VW’s electric hot hatch, the ‘I’ in GTI stands for “Intelligence”.
The idea behind the ID.GTI is to take all the fun and excitement of the gas GTI and pack it into an electric vehicle. While not every EV has the performance of something like a Lucid Air, they do all have that instant torque you simply can’t get with a gas engine. This makes them inherently fun, no matter how much power.
Volkswagen Has Big Electrification Goals For 2030
The only other trick is to give them the handling to match, which it seems Volkswagen has covered. On the design front, Volkswagen isn’t significantly changing the look of the GTI. It will change, but it will still be recognizable. They want the GTI to continue looking like a GTI. Despite many automakers slowing their EV roll out, VW still has plans for electric cars to account for at least 80% of its sales in Europe by 2030.
Other brands within the VW Group have announced plans to slow down their EV push, including Bentley, Porsche, and Audi. That’s not the case for VW, at least not yet, so the promise that upcoming EVs will still be fun and engaging is good news.
