New Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI: engine to ‘exceed expectations’…

Volkswagen has released a teaser image showing the new Golf 8 GTI’s face, confirming the hot hatch will debut at the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show in March and promising its engine will “exceed expectations”.

The teaser comes after the Wolfsburg-based firm released initial information about the Golf 8 GTD, which will likewise make its debut at the Swiss show.

The new Golf GTI is expected to launch in initial markets in the second half of 2020, before arriving in South Africa towards the end of the year.

“The power delivery of the GTI turbo engine will exceed expectations. The same can be said of the running gear, which can be set precisely by the driver in conjunction with a new DCC generation [adaptive chassis control],” the automaker said in a release accompanying the teaser image.

From what we understand, the Golf 8 GTI will again draw its urge from a version of the VW Group’s EA888 turbocharged 2,0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. A leaked presentation slide in January 2020 suggested the GTI would offer 180 kW, while the TCR/Clubsport would boast 221 kW.

VW describes the new GTI as a “pure, intelligent and superior high-tech sports car for the digital age”, saying it has “digitalised and networked” its venerable hot hatch.

The new Golf GTI will be one of the first compact sports cars to communicate via Car2X with other vehicles, which Volkswagen promises will take safety “to a whole new level” (the GTI will apparently be the first car in its class that can be driven with “Travel Assist” up to a speed of 210 km/h).

It will furthermore be the first generation of GTI to have a completely digitalised interior as well as an optional LED crossbar integrated into the daytime running lights. The teaser image shows an open front bumper with a honeycomb grille (with a new lighting signature), while VW says a model-specific diffuser with tailpipes either side will again star round back.

Inside, there’ll be a digital cockpit, a new leather-wrapped multifunction sports steering wheel (with touch control) and 32-colour background lighting (including a GTI-specific mode).