VW Desperately Wants To Sell Its Newest GTI In America

The Volkswagen ID. GTI Concept was unveiled as an exciting electric hot hatch for the next generation, but at the time, there was no certainty whether it would make its way stateside or not. But according to VW Group of America CEO Pablo Di Si, there's massive support for the production ID. GTI to reach the US.

Speaking with Car and Driver at the reveal of the concept at IAA Mobility, Di Si claimed, "Everybody wants the car in the US." But that's far from confirmation, and at this stage, there is no production model... yet. "It's a concept car, but we're working very closely with the team in Germany in terms of design and the specs […] I think it could be a great car for the US."

But not everyone is in support of the ID. GTI, at least not in its current form. According to the same report, Volkswagen insiders believe the US market won't be fond of the front-wheel drive (FWD) layout. The ID. GTI Concept is based on VW's MEB Entry platform, an adaptation of the main MEB platform that underpins the ID.4. Depending on how closely related the two are, it should theoretically be possible to put the drive motor at the rear, but the concern is in how that may impact the compact dimensions of the ID. GTI.

Whatever changes do need to be made, Di Si assures VW of America will work with engineers to make sure that the "touch and feel is going to be what the American consumer wants."

One of the big driving factors behind Di Si's desire to bring the car stateside is the brand's commitment to offering attainable EVs. "We are the people's brand, so we need an entry-level electric vehicle, no ifs, no buts," he says.

Di Si says that the ID.2 is too small for the American market ( he didn't rule it out entirely, however), but suggests that this GTI variant could perform better because of the market's affinity for GTI products. "I like the GTI particularly because it brings the heritage of the brand in a smaller package, and a hopefully smaller price."

Americans have long had an affinity for the GTI, with the GTI and R retaining the manual transmission in the US for longer than they did in other markets purely because of the demands of fans. Sadly, this will no longer be the case post-2024 as the manual GTI will officially be dead, but when the Golf GTI goes gently into that good night in a few years, fans will be clamoring for a replacement.

The production version of the ID. GTI Concept won't arrive before 2027, meaning there's time to make sure it's perfect for American consumers.