Electric powerhouses on the way
Volkswagen’s sporty top models, which the brand carries the R label, have so far mainly had one thing in common: they always have a fairly powerful combustion engine. Will this remain the case in the future? Volkswagen is very clear about this: no.
You have known Volkswagen’s R label for several decades now. It was introduced in 2002 with the R32 version of the then current Volkswagen Golf IV. That Golf R32 had a 241 hp six-cylinder, four-wheel drive and a DSG, a combination that – together with the chunky appearance – provided first-class hot hatch fun. The R32 marked the starting signal for the sporty R models. R versions of the Golf V, VI, VII and VIII were released and the Passat (R36), Scirocco, Arteon, T-Roc, Tiguan and even the Touareg (R50 and the current R eHybrid) also received an executioner of an R -variant. All models with a combustion engine. There will also be electric Volkswagen R in the future.
In 2018, Volkswagen introduced the ID.R, a non-street legal muscle car with which it participated in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA. That was officially the first electric R-Volkswagen ever, but that is of course not a model that went into series production. They will happen, says Hakim Halimi, Head of Product Marketing at Volkswagen R. However, he does not go into details. “We are currently evaluating various concepts and options, but will only offer R models that meet our requirements. Of course, I cannot and may not say too much about it, but one thing is certain: the future of R is electric.” We also know that every Volkswagen with R genes sold from 2030 will be an EV. Volkswagen currently sells the most powerful electric models under the GTX label, although these are electric equivalents of the GTI models.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl