Next-Gen 2020 VW Golf GTI Not Going Down The Mild-Hybrid Route

VW is in the final development phase of the eighth generation Golf GTI, which is reportedly scrapping an earlier plan for mild hybridization for a revised version of the current EA888 2.0-liter turbo-four powertrain.

The German automaker was initially planning to switch the Golf GTI to a mild-hybrid powertrain based around the EA888 engine under the instructions of Matthias Muller, but his successor and current VW Group chairman Herbert Diess reversed the decision, Autocar reports.

Instead, the 2020 VW Golf GTI will be powered by an updated turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that will be offered with two power outputs, as with the current model. Base models will offer around 252hp (255PS) while the more powerful version will come with 286hp (290PS) and adopt the TCR badge, replacing the existing Performance moniker.

However, the mild-hybrid technology will be offered in the new Golf MK8’s range; VW is set on pairing the smaller 1.5-liter TSI and the 2.0-liter TDI engines with an electric motor and 48V electrical architecture.

The upcoming VW Golf GTI will ride on a reworked MQB platform, featuring the same a MacPherson/multilink suspension front to rear. Adaptive dampers will also be present. The report goes on saying that the company’s engineers focused on giving the Golf GTI Mk8 a more direct and communicative steering, which will retain its electro-mechanical setup.

VW is expected to reveal the new Golf Mk8 this summer, with a public debut to follow at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.