Were you somewhat disappointed when Volkswagen introduced its I.D. hatchback concept at last year’s Paris Motor Show thinking it spelled the end of small, fun VWs? Fear not as the marque is already pondering a solution.
At the recent Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen sales and marketing boss Jürgen Stackman said that GTI models will change in the future, suggesting that they could become fully-electric.
“I think the formula of GTI will change – it will not be the same formula that took us here. But to have an exhilarating, fun to own, fun to drive car, with electric cars it is possible to deliver that.
“Technology is clearly set to be able to do that – it is actually quite easy to do, with four-wheel drive if you want to,” he said.
In base specification, the first model in VW’s family of I.D. vehicles has been designed with 168 hp beneath the skin. However, there is a strong possibility the brand is considering using higher-capacity battery packs for performance-oriented models, including an I.D. GTI, reports Auto Express.
According to Christian Senger, Volkswagen’s vice president of Product Line G4, e-mobility, “Today we are really successful in having a range of performance, especially at Volkswagen. We need to recreate this with e-mobility. We can start with a rational approach, the car performing quite well every day. But then we can scale up. More range, more acceleration, more charging points for the money and maybe also 4WD.”
PHOTO GALLERY
