Volkswagen ID GTI electric hot hatch revealed in concept form

The Volkswagen GTI nameplate has finally been applied to an electric car.

The new VW ID. GTI concept has made its debut in Munich at the IAA Mobility 2023 motor show, in a move the German brand describes as “marking the next chapter in the iconic GTI legacy”.

The five-door VW ID. 2ALL-based GTI hot-hatch model is seemingly the next step in the future rollout of Volkswagen’s compact electric hatchback range, and one that has a similar target to GTI models in the past - to be affordable.

Being only a concept, there are no specifics around production powertrains, but it is based on the MEB Small front-wheel drive platform, and the VW Group has previously showcased the Cupra UrbanRebel prototype on those underpinnings.

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VW passenger cars design boss, Andreas Mindt

In that interpretation, there’s a front-mounted electric motor with up to 320kW of peak power, and a 0-100km/h claim of just 3.2 seconds.

Whether that would be transferable to an affordable production GTI take on the brand’s new-gen EV small car is questionable, but Andreas Mindt, chief designer at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, told Australian media the concept car is “90 percent” indicative of what a production version would look like.

“I would say 90 percent. Maybe 93! No, but it’s very close to what we want to show,” he said, before noting some of the exaggerations that may not carry over to the production model: the 20-inch wheels in particular (expect 19s as the largest option, albeit with a similar design that harks back to the original steel wheels of the first GTI), while the track width and front bumper are expected to be less dramatic.

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“You see some cars, they’re super aggressive, [they look as though they are] eating people on the street or whatever… I really believe it’s somehow wrong."

However, you can expect the thick “solid rock” C-pillar design, hidden rear door handles and single-piece rear door glass to carry over to production. In fact, Mr Mindt revealed that the back door shut line and rear arches were a big focus for the brief.

“We pushed into it to make way for the beefy wheel-arch,” he said. “That will be exactly like you see it."

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“The door handle makes the car cheaper because we save this pillar,” he said, pointing to the section of the rear window that would typically have an extender pillar in place with a smaller glass piece behind.

He said that smaller pillar is usually there because the back window won’t go down into the door if it’s so wide, but with this car, the line of the door and shape of the glass allows it to be a single piece.

Mr Mindt said that cars can't merely be aggressive, which he indicated he felt was an all-too common theme with sportier vehicles. “You see some cars, they’re super aggressive, [they look as though they are] eating people on the street or whatever… I really believe it’s somehow wrong."

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"When you are in this segment, when you design a car like that it becomes a ‘boy racer’, and that’s a little bit tasteless, a little bit cheesy."

"And what we want to achieve is a tasteful car in the segment – it can be tasteful, yes, or sporty and tasteful at the same time. For everybody."

“This friendliness, it really works with sportiness, together, I’m really convinced. You know, it makes you smile. It makes you happy. It’s just like the Beetle, the Beetle was always a happy thing,” he said.

Further, the two concept models shown are finished in a couple of iconic GTI colours – Diamond Silver, the same that the first 1976 Golf GTI wore, and Mars Red, which has become a staple of the range.

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The expected red linear exterior flashes are evident: there are golf-ball motifs on the wheel centre caps, and while the actual interior of the car has not been properly revealed, illustrations suggest it will have a number of trademark GTI elements, including red highlights and – you’d think – tartan trim.

The sporty looking new model comes as the Volkswagen Group works to more greatly differentiate each of the brands under the umbrella, with Group CEO Oliver Blume (pictured alongside silver concept at top of story) saying design is critical to the implementation of that strategy.

“The design of our models is one of the most crucial factors that decides the success of our brands," Blume says.

"Each brand needs its own strong personality. Our refined design principles aim for higher design quality and stronger differentiation of the brands, with our design strategy relying on the further development of established model series, technological lighthouse projects for electric vehicles, and iconic products of the Volkswagen Group."