The head of Volkswagen’s high-performance R division says the new Golf 8 R will feature “technology nobody expects”.
Speaking to MotorTrend, VW R boss Jost Capito – who recently ruled out a Polo R – promised there would be plenty of “small improvements” over the outgoing model.
“I can’t tell you too much, what we put in the car, but there [are] a lot of small improvements,” Capito told the US-based publication.
“The overall car [is] a real driving machine,” he added of the model that would slot in at the top of the eighth-generation Golf range, above the new GTI and oil-burning GTD.
While Capito confirmed the new Golf R would not feature a hybrid powertrain, he did say there would be “technology nobody expects”.
What that will be remains to be seen but we expect the new Golf R to again feature a high-output version of the Wolfsburg-based firm’s familiar EA888 turbocharged 2,0-litre four-cylinder engine (with 245 kW, according to an earlier leak), again driving all four wheels.
A report from January 2020 suggested the new Golf R would be revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom in July, although it’s unclear whether the event will go ahead amid the coronavirus outbreak.