Hot Volkswagen ID 2 to enter production in 2027 with a bespoke soundtrack and gadgets – but no fake gearshift.
The production version of the Volkswagen ID GTI concept is already in development within VW’s R&D team and its boss, Kai Grünitz, said the new MEB Entry platform on which it will be based “offers enough power and acceleration to give you the GTI feeling when you drive this car”.
Grünitz confirmed that a drivable prototype already exists, and it is only marginally smaller than the Munich show concept car revealed earlier this week – and not quite as aggressive in its styling.
The VW engineers are working on giving the GTI production car “an agile steering feel and a very smooth way of driving it through the curves” and an electronic differential to boost handling.
Grünitz added: “We want to make it agile, really direct and so you can feel the road with the damper settings. It’ll be fast but smooth and it’ll need more power than the ID 2 All.”
It will use the same-sized battery as the Volkswagen ID 2 on which it is based, but there will be hardware changes to ensure the right voltage and cooling is delivered. The motors will be upgraded and given more power.
The model will be given its own bespoke sound inspired by the internal-combustion-engined GTIs of today, but the driver will have the option of turning this off. However, it will not be given a simulated gearbox feel, as has featured on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N hot hatch.
Grünitz added that VW is also working on two or three special gadgets and features that will be bespoke to the GTI that will “put a smile on your face”.
The production GTI will be one of the first new-era VWs created using the firm’s new ‘love brand’ mantra, and when asked if there were any other models that Grünitz would like to see reinvented for the electric era, he ruled out a reborn Beetle, because that car would have limited long-term market appeal.
However, he hinted that a “dream car” as a “shining star” at the top of the VW range was under consideration and that this would be a “sporty model”. Design sketches already exist of this project, said Grünitz.
A headliner at the 2023 Munich motor show, the hot hatch variant of the upcoming ID 2 is earmarked to head Volkswagen’s new entry-level electric car line-up with a front-mounted electric motor, specially tuned sport suspension, traditional GTI design elements and a price expected to start at around €30,000 (cAUD$50,000).
“Production has already been decided as part of our electric offensive,” said Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, in a clear statement of intent for the first-ever electric GTI model. “It remains sporty, technologically progressive and accessible but now has a new interpretation for tomorrow’s world: electric, fully connected and extremely emotive.”
Schäfer said the production version of the ID GTI would be revealed in 2026 and be on sale in early 2027. Confirmation of the hot ID 2 comes after Schäfer told Automotive Daily Network partner Autocar that he was seeking to ensure long-standing Volkswagen names like GTI are retained on future electric models.
“We have iconic names,” he said. “It would be crazy to let them die and slip away.”
However, the two-year-old GTX branding will not be scrapped amid the move to retain GTI, as it will continue service on four-wheel-drive sporting models. The R badge will be reserved for only the most rapid all-paw performance models, Volkswagen said.
The basis for the ID GTI is the same shortened version of Volkswagen’s existing MEB platform as the standard ID 2, dubbed MEB Entry. It houses a front-mounted electric motor and what Volkswagen describes as a “large” battery – likely the larger 56kWh pack that will be available in the ID 2.
Technical details are yet to be made public. However, the development of the baby GTI has been twinned with the range-topping version of the upcoming Cupra Raval, which is claimed to develop up to 166kW, sufficient to provide it with 0-100km/h time of 6.9sec, and a range of up to 440km – figures which would stand the ID 2 GTI in good stead against hot hatch rivals including the Abarth 500e, Alpine A290 and new Mini Cooper Electric.
As with the original Golf and its genre-defining GTI sibling, the standard and hot ID 2 share the same body-in-white.
Inspired by the simplistic, Giorgetto Giugiaro styling of the original Golf, the new concept has been imbued with a number of classic GTI design touches, signalling Volskwagen’s intent to uphold the legacy of its most revered models.
Among the bespoke features is a deeper front bumper with pronounced air curtains and vertically stacked LED daytime driving lights on either side. The lower section houses a contrasting black air duct with honeycomb-shaped detailing and red-coloured tow hooks.
The VW badge is also illuminated in white for a striking look at night, while the headlights themselves get the firm’s IQ Light matrix technology.
Plastic cladding bulks out the wheel arches, which accommodate retro-look 20in wheels of a double eight-spoke design, while prominent sills feature GTI logos underneath the doors – all in black.
There’s a chunky new spoiler at the rear for added downforce and high-speed stability, bespoke 3D light graphics, a badge illuminated in red, prominent GTI graphics and a black valance within the lower section of the bumper.
The sporting package is rounded off by a 15mm drop in ride height, which suggests plans for a stiffer suspension set-up on the production car.
“With the ID GTI Concept, we are showing what a great future the GTI philosophy has,” said Volkswagen design boss Andreas Mindt. “I already had the GTI in mind when I first put pen to paper for the ID 2. It’s now becoming reality and allowing us to project the GTI idea into the new age of electric mobility.”
At 4104mm long, 1840mm wide and 1499mm tall, the most powerful of Volkswagen’s planned ID 2 variants is slightly larger than today’s petrol-engined Polo GTI.
Traditional GTI design elements continue inside with a three-spoke steering wheel featuring a red 12 o’clock marker, chequered “Jack-e” upholstery for the seats and a golfball-shaped rotary dial for the infotainment.
The 10.9in digital display can also be configured in ‘analogue’ mode, which closely resembles the gauge cluster of the Mk1 Golf GTI.
The larger 12.9in central touchscreen infotainment display also offers varying themes with links to the past. In a nod to the Golf GTI’s rally heritage, the head-up display projects information onto the windscreen for both the driver and front passenger.
Among the more conceptual touches is a red LED pulse sensor incorporated within the backrest of the driver’s seat.
Like the standard ID 2, the ID GTI can accommodate up to five people. Boot space is put at 490 litres, with up to 1330 litres available when the rear seat is folded down.
An additional 50-litre lockable stowage compartment underneath the rear seat is conceived to house the charging cable and other items.
The ID GTI’s emphasis on stylistic flair comes amid a wider directive in the Volkswagen Group to become what group CEO Oliver Blume calls a “design-driven” company. In a briefing at the Munich motor show, he said: “With sharpened design identities, we create distinctive products and enhance brand differentiation. In exterior, interior, and digital presence.”
As for the future of the existing Golf GTI, Autocar previously reported that the mainstream Golf will drop the option of a manual gearbox next year, in a landmark moment for the model. Volkswagen technical development boss Kai Grünitz confirmed to Autocar earlier this year: “With the next generation of the Golf, there will not be one with a manual gearshift.” He added that the decision was taken for reasons of emissions compliance, but Autocar understands the move has not yet been officially signed off, pending any changes to the Euro 7 legislation before it is ratified.
The manual GTI is bowing out with the 380 edition, a US-market special edition that pays homage to the performance brand’s heritage.
It brings a black roof and mirrors, red interior detailing, black 19in wheels, and the option of bespoke Graphite Grey metallic paint. It also comes with the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) handling package as standard. The 380 is otherwise mechanically unchanged compared with the standard GTI.