Electric Volkswagen ID.3 R hot hatch to debut in 2024

Senior Volkswagen execs are about to sign off a new flagship R performance version of the upcoming ID.3 electric hatchback that will be on sale by 2024.

According to sources speaking to

Said to have already won support from Volkswagen engineers, the hot VW ID.3 R has also been championed by Volkswagen development chief Frank Welsch.

Confirming to the Brit mag that the ID.3 R is "something we’re looking at", Welsch declares himself a fan of the zero-emission hot hatch, with just one reservation.

"I like the idea, but we have to decide if the market is ready to accept such a model," he said.

Originally, it was rumoured that a hotter variant of the ID.3 hatch would be badged the GTX – as the iconic GTI badge remains reserved for petrol-powered hatchbacks – but Autocar says that now won't happen.

The GTX badge will only be used on twin-motor, all-wheel drive models like the ID.4 SUV, ruling it out for the ID.3 hatch because it will be launched with a single motor and rear-wheel drive.

"The ID.3 can accept four-wheel drive, although it’s unlikely to receive it during the first generation," Welsch told the Brit mag. "There will not be a GTX variant, but we’re yet to decide on a rear-wheel drive R variant."

That opens the door for a rear-drive Volkswagen ID.3 R with at least 230kW – something that could become an instant hit with enthusiasts as it would trade all-wheel drive traction for the ability to lay down lurid drifts.

Better still, advances in both battery and electric motor technology, plus the introduction of cheaper lightweight composite materials, could make the ID.3 R significantly quicker than the current Golf R.

When it arrives in 2024, expect the Volkswagen ID.3 R to hit 100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds.