Chinese VW Golf GTI Coming in March

Volkswagen will introduce its Golf GTI in China this March and production will be handled by its local joint venture, FAW-VW. China Car Times suggests that the GTI will come with a price tag of around 220,000rmb ($32,200) and will be powered by a 2.0-liter TSI engine fitted with a six-speed DSG transmission.

Earlier rumors claimed that the China-bound GTI will be very similar to the European flavor, including exterior and interior specifications. The 2010 Golf GTI is able to sprint from naught to sixty in 6.9 seconds, while reporting a combined fuel consumption figure of 7.7 l/100 km (30.5 mpg) and a 180g/km carbon emission figure.

Volkswagen launched the GTI in several markets around the world, including in the United States where it will be sold alongside the base version of the car and the GTD edition.

In Europe, the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf is being offered in a choice of six engines, ranging between 1.4- and 2.0-liter, and in two body styles, with three and five doors respectively. The car was officially presented in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show and is also sold in the United States under the Golf nameplate, after the German manufacturer decided to drop the "Rabbit" badge used for several years in the country.

As for pricing, the car is sold in Volkswagen's mainland, Germany, for 26,650 Euros, for the manual transmission version. However, the top-of-the-range configuration goes up to 30,000 Euros if all the available options are applied.