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All-electric Volkswagen Golf 9 GTI arriving earlier than expected
Now set to debut in 2026, the Mk 9 GTI will eschew combustion engine power for EV motivation solely.
Current eighth generation Golf GTI will become the facelift 8.5 GTI in 2024. Image: Volkswagen
Until now, rumoured for unveiling in 2028, a newly discovered post on social has pointed to an earlier than expected reveal of the ninth generation Volkswagen Golf.
First EV GTI
Set to arrive two years after the facelift eighth generation that will become the Golf 8.5 in a move similar to the Golf 7 and 7.5, Wolfsburg’s Head of Design Andreas Mindt has seemingly jumped the gun by posting a sketch of the original Mk I GTI and Mk 9 on Instagram confirming 2026 as the year of reveal.
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In October, it was reported that the Golf 8.5 GTI would not only be the final iteration to feature an internal combustion engine, but also the last to have a manual gearbox in select markets based on the Golf 9 being fully electric.
Telling sketch
Responsible for styling the concept ID.2all after original designer Jozef Kaban – who penned the Bugatti Veyron – received the axe for creating an apparent universally disliked concept, Mindt captioned the sketch by stating that 2.8-million Golf GTIs have been sold globally since 1975 after an initial planned production run of 5 000.
He concluded by remarking, “In 2026, we will introduce an electric version of this iconic model”.
Uncovered by motor1.com Brazil, the post doesn’t reveal any further details, though based on the sketch, the Mk 9 GTI appears wider and more compact than the current Golf 8 GTI.
More in-line with the ID.2all based ID GTI Concept shown at the Munich IAA in September, the drawing also incorporates elements from the 7.5 GTI in the look of the bumper and honeycomb lower air intake.
Mk 8.5 vs Mk 9
The year of reveal pointing to a short two-year production run for the Golf 8.5 currently undergoing testing, the Mk 9 could also move to the dedicated MEB platform when it goes on-sale, albeit without any reference to the ID models based on the same architecture.
“We have iconic brand names, Golf and GTI. It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carry a name,” Schäfer told Autocar at the Los Angeles International Auto Show last year.
While an announcement by Volkswagen regarding the sketches hasn’t been made, speculation in a previous report by Autocar alleges possible mild-hybrid assistance across all standard 8.5 models, and a power bump for the GTI from the current 180 kW to the same 195 kW as the Mk 7 GTI Clubsport.
At present though, this too is purely speculative and will only be detailed once the wraps come off in 2024.
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