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VW Virtus GTS Concept Is the Polo GTI Sedan for South America

At the 2018 Sao Paulo International Motor Show, Volkswagen took the covers off the Virtus GTS, a thinly veiled concept car that will enter production without a doubt, probably with the year.
VW Virtus GTS Concept Is the Polo GTI Sedan for South America 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot/iCarros
VW Virtus GTS Concept Is the Polo GTI Sedan for South AmericaVW Virtus GTS Concept Is the Polo GTI Sedan for South AmericaVW Virtus GTS Concept Is the Polo GTI Sedan for South America
As some of you may know, Volkswagen has a few different badges it uses to conserve the purity of the "GTI." This includes the GLI they use for the Jetta and also GTS, which we saw on the Scirocco that had Golf GTI internals only a few years ago.

Sadly, the Virtus GTS is not a Polo GTI with a trunk, as we would expect. This has more to do with the expectations of the South American car market, not the inability to park a 200 horsepower 2-liter turbo under the hood of the Virtus.

Instead, this performance model is expected to come out with a 1.5 TSI making 150 HP and 250 Nm of torque. That's still way more than the regular model. Also, while the Polo GTI gives you a choice between a manual or a 6-speed DSG, the Virtus will only have a 6-speed auto with a torque converter.

Styling-wise, this concept features the same LED headlights connected to the honeycomb grille via a red stripe. The Polo GTI also influences its body kit, though we don't get the same exhaust treatment. Inside, the tartan seats and red stitching make you wonder how this isn't a GTI product. They've even kept the Polo's digital dashboard. And where have we seen those 18-inch alloy wheels before?

The Virtus is also based on the MQB A0 platform, but at 4.48 meters, it's a lot longer. The sedan offers a 520-liter trunk and is normally motivated by either a 128 horsepower 1-liter turbo or a 117 horsepower base 1.6-liter, both of which run on ethanol. Depending on the engine, a 5-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission is installed.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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