Volkswagen is preparing an electric version of the legendary Golf GTI - the Volkswagen Golf GTI EV, which will preserve the sporty spirit of its predecessors and bring fresh electric energy to the roads.
If Volkswagen were a student, the principal would be shaking his head: “It’s nice that you wrote your term paper, but you’re handing it in five years too late.” And that’s exactly what VW is doing with its electric Golf GTI – the Volkswagen Golf GTI EV. While competitors – Tesla, Hyundai, BYD and others – are already selling electric “hot hatches”, the Wolfsburg giant is still walking the aisles of auto shows, showing concepts that “we’ll see someday… maybe.”
And then along comes Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen CEO, and confidently declares that the electric Golf GTI will be a “monster” by the end of the decade. Thanks a lot, Mr. Schäfer, but who will still be buying “hot hatches” by then if everyone is already flying in autonomous pods?
SSP Platform: Mind-blowing… in theory
Volkswagen boasts about its new SSP platform, which is said to be so modular that it will be used by everything from Skoda to Lamborghini. “Mind-blowing,” says Schäfer. But it is still only in development at the moment. Paper can withstand anything, but asphalt is another story. And while VW is still testing prototypes, the competition is already on the fourth facelift of its electric vehicles. So when – a Volkswagen Golf GTI EV?!
Golf GTI: Front-wheel drive, an old dream
Yes, they'll keep the front-wheel drive, which should please purists. But are purists still waiting for VW? Those who grew up with GTIs now drive electric SUVs with child seats and Spotify. And the younger generation? They're on TikTok, not in a parking lot with their hoods open.
Conclusion: Waiting for Godot… sorry, Volkswagen Golf GTI EV 2032
Volkswagen has everything up its sleeve: tradition, knowledge, icon. And yet – the electric Golf GTI is supposed to arrive “by the end of the decade”. Realistic? That’s 2030. And even more realistic? That’s (for the automotive world) eternity.
It is GTI still relevant? Of course. But waiting for something that should have been unveiled yesterday is frustrating. The Golf GTI EV should be here – now. As a manifesto that VW understands what sportiness means in the electric age. Instead, all we get is another interview, another promise and another “concept vision.”
In the end, the new GTI may indeed be a “monster.” But by the time it hits the road, we will all be driving… a Tesla Model 3 with an annual vignette and a spiritual successor to the GTI that wasn’t made by Volkswagen.
