The VW GTI Strikes Back: An ID. 2 With 20-Inch Wheels, AR Cockpit, and Jacked-Up Looks

Coincidence or not, that year is also the planned date for the production version of the ID. GTI – the latest concept showcasing the Germans’ plans for their next hot hatch. Unlike the combustion veterans of the last five decades, the GTI will now translate into ‘Intelligent’ instead of ‘Injection.’ We can all see where this is going, which will divide the automotive-following internet.

The latest GTI will be all-electric, hence the ID badge of distinction adorned on it. And it will also stay front-wheel drive to honor a long lineage of sporty predecessors. The concept revealed at the IAA Mobility in Munich sports the same chromatic palette as the first ever Golf GTI – grey and red.

The ID. GTI is based on the ID. 2all MEB Entry (Modular Electric Drive matrix) with a front locking differential, a battery pack in the floor, four doors, and a highly-digitized cockpit. To get as close as electrically possible to the GTI DNA, the Vehicle Dynamics Manager of the ID. GTI Concept includes the powertrain in the control system to a far broader extent than in ICE’d VW.

Since the electric powertrain setup personalization is nearly endless, the driver can create various profiles according to pinpoint-specific details. Thanks to the new GTI Experience Control on the center console, the ID. GTI Concept can adjust the drive system, running gear, steering, and sound effects. It can also simulate the driving characteristics of some of the historical GTI models – the Golf GTI I from 1976, the first Golf GTI II 16V from 1986, or the legendary Golf GTI IV ‘25 years of GTI’ from 2001 – by mimicking their gearshift points.

The Germans haven’t uttered a word about the powertrain specifications, but rumors credit the 60-kWh battery pack with the powering of the ID. GTI Concept. As for the electric motor, we can make an educated guesstimation, starting from the ID. 2all and going up.

Since the car this concept is based on has 166 kW / 226 PS (223 hp), the GTI version must be above that. Again, hearsay has it that the ID. 7 powertrain could sit on the front axle –210 kW (286 PS/282 hp).

Again, the manufacturer doesn’t whisper a hint about the car’s weight, preferring to give us the size of the vehicle for now: 4,104 x 1,840 x 1,499 mm (161.57”x72.44”x59”), with a wheelbase of 2,600 mm (102.36 inches).

The ID. GTI Concept sits on custom-made 20-inch alloys with 245 rubbers – a promising image, but let's see what the 2027 production version will settle for. The flared wheel arches in matte black - yet another GTI tribute – envelop the eight double-spoke wheels and their trapezoidal-pattern openings.

The inside of the rims is blackened (hubcap included), contrasting sharply with the high-gloss polished finish of the outward edges. One of the GTI’s quintessential features, the red outline of the radiator grille, is carried over to the ID. GTI Concept.

Although there isn’t a proper front opening for fresh air, like in the combustion models, the red stripe spans the entire car length, below its IQ. LIGHT LED matrix headlights, with the GTI logo in red letters, splicing the distinctive red bar under the right headlamp.

The honeycomb structure in the front air intake is another throwback to GTIs of the past, but all similarities end once the door is opened. The cockpit is a hexadecimal-clad digital experience heavy with augmented reality elements.

Like BMW’s new iDrive for 2025, the ID. GTI Concept sports a full-windscreen heads-up display with two additional displays – one behind the two-spoke steering wheel, the other in the center of the dash. Virtual and real worlds overlap on the windshield; the speed or current range appears on a white GTI Silver Drive background lighting and displays in normal driving mode.

But when the GTI mode is engaged, the cockpit is flooded with GTI Red Turbo lighting. This is the track-oriented atmosphere - if the driver takes on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a full-attack GTI setup, the car’s position on the circuit is shown on the lower left corner of the windshield. Alternatively, if the ID. GTI Concept is racing; the driver (and co-pilot, if available) will see their current position and progress - current and completed lap times.

The driver seat backrest sports a pulse sensor (GTI Heartbeat) that pulsates red when the concept car is locked remotely. Four driving modes are available for the ID. GTI Concept – Retro, Silver, Sport, and GTI Red Turbo. Like all GTI models before it, this all-electric descendant is a dual-purpose fun machine that can act in an impeccable five-passenger manner for daily use or become a track-thrashing hot-hatch at the push of a button.

The concept VW GTI has ample cargo space, with a 490-liter trunk and an additional 50-liter stowage compartment under the rear bench seat. The concept is close to the mass-produced GTI's final version, although the interior is presented only in static renders. The second video below details the latest ID. GTI Concept: Click the play button to learn more about VW’s promise of all-electric excitement on a budget.