According to Schäfer, this future GTI will be a real monster. While the internal combustion engine may be gone, the soul of the GTI remains. The electric model will feature front wheel drive with its electric motor mounted only on the front axle, staying true to the spirit of the original. It will be built on Volkswagen’s SSP platform, a scalable system shared across brands from Skoda to Lamborghini. This platform allows engineers to fine tune driving feel, responsiveness, and sound to keep the GTI experience thrilling. Although it is still five years away, this electric GTI is shaping up to deliver the same kind of driver focused energy that made the original a legend.

While the GTI sticks to front wheel drive, the electric Golf R will go all in with all wheel drive. This is the first official confirmation of an electric R model, and it’s a big deal. Built on the same SSP platform, the Golf R EV is expected to offer next level control and acceleration. Early prototype tests left Volkswagen’s engineers stunned by how much performance could be extracted from the new setup. However, the R will arrive after the GTI, likely closer to the next decade. In the meantime, European buyers can expect smaller GTI models based on the ID.2 and ID.3 platforms, giving a taste of what the future of GTI excitement looks like without gas.