The compact hatchback ID 3 is Volkswagen’s electric replacement for the Golf, so it would stand to reason that the hot version of the little hatch is the replacement for the GTI. The German automaker announced on Wednesday that it would be building an ID 3 GTX, which it is calling a “snappy, compact sports car.” Though it’s shaped like a hatchback, it breaks with hatchback tradition, pushing power through the rear wheels instead of the front ones. It’ll be available in ID 3 GTX and ID 3 GTX Performance trims, with the Performance model getting even more thrust.
Kai Grünitz, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management, says “With its spontaneous and superior power delivery, the new ID 3 GTX Performance is, for me, the electric counterpart to our sporty compact icon, the Golf GTI Clubsport. Of course, an electric drive and a turbocharged petrol engine each have their own unique character. Yet the ID 3 GTX Performance and the Golf GTI Clubsport share the same fascinating lightness when they accelerate. With the ID 3 GTX, Volkswagen is transferring the almost 50-year tradition of its compact GT models into the world of electric mobility. Driving pleasure is guaranteed.”
The GTX model, like the GTI that preceded it, is visually tweaked from the standard ID 3. From the outside you can identify the GTX by its unique bumper treatment, and high-gloss black sills and diffuser. The twenty-inch wheels are also GTX-specific. Inside you’ll get sport seats, red stitching, and unique fabrics.
Volkswagen says the Performance model “ensures convincing performance thanks to Volkswagen’s most powerful electric drivetrain,” and with an estimated 0-100km/h time of 5.6 seconds. With the standard ID 3 GTX making 282 horsepower, and the Performance putting down 321 ponies, they’ll both be pretty sporting. The standard GTX is also estimated to deliver 372 miles of electric range on the optimistic WTLP test, so you can expect at least 300 miles in regular use, which is pretty strong from a 79 kWh battery. VW says a DC fast charge station should get the ID 3 GTX from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in about 26 minutes.
The GTX models will be available in this beautiful Kings Red Metallic as the only color option, though you can get it in boring white, black, grey, or silver if you are lame. Pricing hasn’t been announced for the little electric hot hatch, as it’s a “near-production concept vehicle.” Unfortunately it seems unlikely that the ID 3 or its GTX variant will ever be sold in the U.S. market.