Volkswagen Design Vision GTI Concept Is The Golf Of Our Dreams

The Wörthersee Festival has already brought us the Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept. Now, we’re getting some goodness from Volkswagen, in the form of a three-door GTI, complete with a 3.0-liter, biturbocharged V-6.

 

We generally like twin-turbo V-6s, especially when they’re mated to a DSG dual-clutch transmission. There’s no mention of whether this is a six- or seven-speed DSG, but with the super-quick gearbox shipping all 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque to an all-wheel-drive system, the 3.9-second run to 62 miles per hour shouldn’t be a huge surprise.

 

 

Continuing the delightful sense of overkill that seems to emanate from the Design Vision GTI, carbon-ceramic brakes sit at all four corners, with 15-inch rotors up front and 14-inchers in back. Huge, five-spoke, 20-inch wheels and very low-profile tires obscure the brakes and red-painted calipers.

 

The smaller dimensions of the Design Vision GTI lend to the overall look, but it’s the work of VW designers Marc Lichte, Andreas Mindt, and Phillip Römers and their three-color design scheme that set this concept apart from other GTIs.

 

Black aerodynamic treatments and subtle strips of red contrast Candy White paint. The upper grille features the traditional red stripe, which bisects the headlights. Out back, a pair of aggressive tailpipes is integrated into the diffuser.

 

The race-oriented cabin is heavy on the carbon fiber and suede. Black and red leather round out the rest of the interior materials. VW’s minimalist interior design philosophy has led to many of the Design Vision GTI’s controls being situated in one place. An Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel features an integrated engine start button, along with the drive mode controls. It also hides a subtle pair of paddle shifters for the dual-clutch transmission.

 

At this point, the Design Vision GTI is just a concept, and without so much as a peep from VW discussing production, it’s likely to stay that way. Stranger things could happen, though. And as it stands, many of the Concept’s styling features could be easily integrated into future GTIs. Let’s try to stay hopeful.