The ID. GTI Concept show car presented for the first time at the IAA Mobility in Munich provides a concrete insight into how Volkswagen will transport the iconic GTI label into the electric future.
With the ID. GTI Concept show car revealed at the IAA Mobility Show in Munich, Volkswagen is demonstrating for the first time how the famed GTI badge will be transported into the age of electric mobility. The production version of the newly unveiled vehicle based on the modular electric drive (MEB) platform is scheduled to hit the roads in 2027.
“The perfect combination of driving pleasure and everyday usability – that is what the three letters GTI have meant for decades,” says Volkswagen CEO, Thomas Schäfer.
"With the ID. GTI Concept, we are taking the GTI DNA into the electric age. It remains sporty, iconic, technologically progressive and accessible, but now with a new interpretation for tomorrow’s world: electric, fully connected and extremely emotive. Here, driving pleasure and sustainability are a perfect match. This means GTI has a future – for our brand and for the fans. A Volkswagen sports car for the electric age that is suitable for everyday driving: 100% electric – 100% emotion.”
Volkswagen will launch eleven new electric models by 2027. Presales of the ID.7, the first all-electric Volkswagen saloon with a spacious interior and ranges up to 700 kilometres, have already commenced in Europe.
By 2033 at the latest, Volkswagen will produce only electric vehicles in Europe. Until then, efficient combustion engine vehicles will continue to play an important part in the product range. In future, Volkswagen will concentrate above all on its successful core models such as the Golf, T-Roc, Passat and Tiguan.
The ID. GTI Concept is based on the ID. 2all show car revealed earlier in 2023. At 4,104mm long, it's slightly bigger than the current Volkswagen Polo, but has a wheelbase of 2,600mm: closer to the current Golf’s.
Befitting the GTI's heritage, there are plenty of performance-oriented styling nods included in the ID. GTI Concept's exterior design, including a honeycomb-effect mesh grille in the lower portion of the front bumper (which also incorporates motorsport-style towing eyes), aggressive side skirts and an integrated rear roof spoiler. Below this at the rear sits a performance-style diffuser. Volkswagen has been sure to make the familiar 'GTI' badge script present around the exterior also, further cementing the direct lineage.
The interior sketches (the concept on show in Munich is a clay model highlighting what 'could' be achieved with a production ID. GTI) shows a red-themed evolution of the ID. 2all’s interior. Naturally, there is a performance theme to the sketches, with deep bucket seats sitting behind a small, squared-off steering wheel and a large a 12.9-inch infotainment screen. The car also features an LED ‘heartbeat’ that pulses to show people outside that the car is secured and locked.
While no performance data (theoretical or otherwise) has been released by Volkswagen, nor any further specification information, if the ID.2 is expected to make its international debut in 2026, pundits expect the production ID. GTI variant will surely follow soon after.
