300kW Volkswagen ID.2 R on the way

Volkswagen is secretly hatching plans for its most advanced EV yet, that will unleash its latest powertrain tech on its inbound 2026 Volkswagen ID.2 small hatch.

Set to be named the Volkswagen ID.2 R, the high-performance hot hatch will feature the firm’s next-generation all-wheel drive that will employ its advanced in-hub wheel motors.

Capable of delivering levels of agility-boosting torque vectoring well beyond today’s technology, the new VW ID.2 R will sit above the fast ID.2 GTI that has already been given the green light.

It will potentially see the German brand’s quickest-ever EV rival the wild new Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which also features trick in-hub motors.

According to Autocar, that revealed Volkswagen is exploring the new radical powertrain for its ID.2 R, engineers are considering combining a traditional e-motor from the ID.2 GTI to drive the front wheels with a pair of electric hub motors for the rear wheels.

The setup means the compact rear motors provide all-wheel drive and boost agility all without compromising boot space.

Insiders say Volkswagen is developing the new powertrain tech with the help of a specialist in the Balkans that has already developed a high-output in-wheel motor.

Key to ensuring agility well beyond current all-wheel-drive EVs is software that predicts torque distribution, with both brake-based yaw control and active torque vectoring employed.

A range of dynamic drive modes, meanwhile, could radically change the balance of the small ID.2 R from a front-biased torque distribution, to a 50:50 even torque split, to a rear-biased drift mode.

Volkswagen has promised hyper-hatch levels of performance with the weight and cost of a conventional dual-motor setup.

Forcing engineers to take a less conventional approach to the ID.2 R development is its MEB Plus architecture that, without the in-hub motors, needs extensive modification to package a second motor.

While the ID.2 GTI is set to feature a single 213kW e-motor, the ID.2 R is expected to produce more than 300kW.

As well as big power for a small car, Volkswagen’s performance division will maximise acceleration by slashing weight, with body parts that might include a carbon-fibre roof.

That should ensure that when the ID.2 R arrives it will be capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in less than 4.0 seconds and a top speed of around 200km/h.

Set to look like a mini-WRC rally car, the ID.2 R will feature a bespoke body that will feature wider arches, side skirts, a front splitter, a rear spoiler and a large diffuser to boost stability at high speed.

Following its introduction in a high-performance application, the new powertrain with rear in-hub motors could reappear with lower outputs in the ID.2 SUV that is set to land in 2027.

Exact timing for the Volkswagen ID.2 R has yet to be confirmed, but it will follow the 2026 ID.2 that arrives next year and the 2027 ID.2 GTI that is expected to land a year later, with the high-performance R primed to launch in 2028.

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