VW’s first electric GTI to focus on go-kart fun and drivability

The production version of the Volkswagen ID GTI concept will prioritise “go-kart” handling and fun over outright power, according to the firm’s technical chief.

The sporty variant of the forthcoming ID 2all is due to go into production in 2026 and will be the first electric Volkswagen to use the GTI badge.

Performance variants of the current electric ID line-up have used the GTX branding but Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer confirmed last year that the GTI badge would join the Golf in going electric in the future.

Speaking at the recent GTI Fan Fest event in Wolfsburg, which celebrated 50 years of the Golf and 48 years of GTI cars, Volkswagen technical boss Kai Grünitz hinted that the model wouldn’t focus purely on acceleration and outright power, which are easy to achieve with an electric powertrain.

“GTI is alive and we’ll keep it alive in the future,” said Grünitz. “The GTI badge is about passion, and when we started looking at ideas for an electric GTI, we knew it’s about more than just power.”

Speaking about how it will be positioned, he said: “With an electric car, adding a lot of power is really easy, but do we need 300bhp or 350bhp? With a GTI, what’s more important than power is drivability. It will be a real go kart. I’ve driven a prototype and it’s really amazing.”

The production version of the ID GTI will sit on the entry-level variant of the MEB platform that will also underpin a range of models from Cupra and Skoda.

The concept shows it will feature a number of traditional GTI design cues. It will also serve as a precursor to the next-generation fully electric Golf, which is due around 2027 as the first model to sit on the Volkswagen Group’s advanced SSP platform.

Speaking at the GTI Fan Fest about that car, Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said: “We started with the design and we promise that when you see the first sketches, you’ll see that this is a real Golf. It will be the authentic face of a Golf.