Volkswagen has surprised show goers at the annual Worthersee GTI festival by revealing a 295kW plug-in hybrid concept that’s said to “bridge the gap between road cars and racing sport cars”.
Called the Golf GTE Sport, the new all-wheel drive concept is said to have a body made entirely of carbon-fibre and is powered by a total of three motors.
Said to adopt its 1.6-litre turbo from the Polo R WRC car the petrol engine produces an impressive 220kW/400Nm on its own. Assisting the conventional combustion engine are two electric motors, one mounted within the dual-clutch transmission’s housing that produces 85kW/330Nm. The other second motor is mounted at the rear of the car. It too produces 85kW but fractionally less torque at 270Nm. Together they produce the total 295kW and 670Nm.
Volkswagen says, whenever possible, the GTE concept operates in pure-electric mode and has a range of 50km.
In GTE mode all three motors work together to produce maximum power and torque. In this mode, VW says, the Golf plug-in hybrid can go from standstill to 100km/h in just 4.3 seconds and top out at 280km/h.
Despite the big performance, the plug-in hybrid can still average just 2.0l/100km.
To keep it stable at higher speeds the concept’s more aerodynamic rakish rear (compared to a regular Golf) is said to have been inspired by a tail-fin of an aircraft.
Created for lapping Germany’s Nurburgring, the Golf GTE has been designed to offer maximum agility and neutral handling. Said to have an optimum weight distribution and low centre of gravity, the two-seater has a motorsport-inspired interior.
Once you’ve entered the low-slung cabin through a pair of XL1-style gullwing doors, both driver and passenger sit low and far back like in a race car.
Volkswagen has created a new steering column for the GTE concept that has instruments that display all relevant information you need for a perfect lap. In GTE mode the dash will even show, not only the current lap, but also a virtual indicator of the ideal driving line to help guide you.
The interior also features a fire extinguisher while the passenger has their very own info panel to keep track of lap times g-forces being pulled.
The Golf GTE Sport concept is thought to be Volkswagen’s experiment of using lightweight materials that one day could be used on the mass-produced Golf. The small-capacity 1.6-litre turbo assisted by electric motors could also be the basis of the next generation Golf GTI powerplant.