It’s the Newport Folk Festival all over again as the GTI is embracing the Volk revival and going electric. The next generation GTI’s traditional gas engine will reportedly be backed by a 48V electrical system. The mild hybrid system will boost performance while improving economy.
Set to launch in Europe as a 2020 model, Autocar reports that the R&D department have set a hp target of 260 hp, similar to the current GTI Clubsport.
The 48V electrical system will integrate a starter motor and might also allow VW to bin the traditional turbo in favor of an electric compressor, a la Audi SQ7 TDI. The electric compressor would allow for torque that comes lower down in the rev range and sustains longer. There could also be a boost button, to give you a little more juice at the top.
Europe’s current 1.5-liter Golf TSI Bluemotion already uses a similar system, but it uses twin 12V electric motors. This allows for cylinder deactivation and engine-off coasting. The coming 48V is set to improve on the current system.
The Mk8 Golf will have a slightly longer wheelbase and a slightly wider track width. That said, it will stay on the MQB platform, albeit a modernized version with more lightweight materials that should help it shed about 110 lbs.
According to Autocar, the outward design has already been set. Designed by Michael Mauer, responsible for Porsche’s current offerings, the Mk8 is said to be immediately familiar as a Golf. Despite that, it will have more pronounced wheel arches, a more upright tailgate, a thin grille, and smaller, more angular headlights.
With less weight, more power, a broader torque curve, and a design penned by the man responsible for Porsche’s handsome lineup, the new GTI, and indeed the Golf family, is looking good.
[source: Autocar]
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