VW Reportedly Working On ID.3 GTI, And It Could Be Strange

We’ve been expecting the first true electric GTI model from Volkswagen to be a version of the upcoming ID.2. It’s also the only model that VW has indicated to be getting any kind of GTI treatment. According to a report from Germany auto news outlet Auto Motor und Sport, VW has decided to also develop a GTI version of the ID.3. The outlet cites an anonymous source connected to the automaker, and some of the other information about the possible sporty EV would make it a mighty strange GTI.

Slightly More Power And Possibly Rear Drive

The ID.3, and all the other VW models based on the MEB platform, are all designed to be either rear- or all-wheel drive. At the moment, the most potent ID.3 is the GTX, which has two motors, all-wheel drive and 322 horsepower. Auto Motor und Sport says that this ID.3 GTI would barely be more powerful than the GTX with 335 horsepower, but it would stand out because supposedly it would be rear-wheel-drive. Not only would that make for a significantly different driving experience than in the GTX, it would also be a major break from the tradition of GTIs being front-wheel-drive. Additionally, the German outlet says the reason for this is because of the delays in the launch of the next-generation electric VW Golf line.

We Have Doubts, And We’re Not Sure We’d Get It

We’ll admit a little skepticism about the idea of the ID.3 GTI being rear-wheel-drive. VW doesn’t have a single electric motor for its MEB cars that makes 335 horsepower, let alone 322. The most powerful single rear motor in MEB cars makes 282 horsepower, which is what’s used in the ID.Buzz and ID.4. Additionally, VW does have MEB models with dual motors that make exactly 335 horsepower. The ID.4 and ID.Buzz with all-wheel-drive both have that output, as do the ID.7 overseas and the Cupra Tavascan, among others. That’s not to say that VW couldn’t create a high-output single rear motor for an ID.3 GTI, but with such a specific power output, it seems far more likely to us that VW would just use its existing 335-horsepower dual-motor layout instead. Also, if VW is creating this as a stop-gap until the next-generation Golf launches, and with the company’s funding concerns, it would seem strange to invest in a unique motor for a niche model of an aging platform.

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With that said, we can believe that VW would create a GTI version of the ID.3 to flesh out the line-up. It would also be a nice complement to the ID.2 and its GTI variant in markets where the ID.3 is sold. The US, however, is not a market where the ID.3 is sold, and we haven’t seen any indication that VW has plans to bring the model over. So we aren’t holding our breaths for this particular GTI to show up. Instead, we believe the ID.2 GTI to be much more likely for the US. VW’s American division wants it, and it would fit the GTI mold better than the ID.3, since it will be front-wheel-drive, plus it has Golf-like looks.

Source: Auto Motor und Sport