The Indian market is preparing to receive the Volkswagen Golf GTI with open arms. Meanwhile, the German automaker in the international market is preparing to begin the work for the development of an all-electric Golf GTI. Until now, the world has seen the GTI badge on EVs, but only those in concept form. For instance, the brand had the ID.GTI concept in 2023, and a more recent example is the ID.3 GTI, which might debut in Europe in 2026. Now, the brand plans to bring the electric Golf GTI.
The update confirming the existence of the Golf GTI came from the top boss himself. Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer said in an interview with AutoExpress that the Golf GTI EV will become a reality before the end of the decade. He further claimed that the electric hatchback will be a "monster". In Schafer's words, "At the end of the decade, we will bring an electric Golf GTI, and that will be a monster car."
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Volkswagen CEO also confirmed the development of the Golf R EV. The Golf R with electric powertrain will have an all-wheel-drive system, while the electric Golf GTI will continue to have a front-wheel-drive system like its ICE counterpart. Underpinning these cars will be the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). It is to be noted that this platform will be extensively used by other brands of the VW Group as well.
Regarding the design, digital development for the new car is underway before advancing to the physical prototype phase. "We know what the vehicle looks like and [can] sit virtually in the vehicle," stated Schafer. "The dimensions of the platform and the vehicle are clear, though it's not [fine-tuned] to the last design detail. We have many iteration steps to get through."