New Volkswagen Golf GTE confirmed for Australia

VW’s hot hatch ranks will be bolstered next year by the arrival of the electrified 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTE and possibly even the still-to-be-revealed Volkswagen Golf R Plus.

The revelation was made by Volkswagen Australia’s head of passenger cars, Michal Szaniecki, who confirmed to carsales that the GTE would be among a trio of new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models heading Down Under.

“Touareg is coming first – we can’t wait,” Szaniecki said.

“This year production will start so we’re very excited about it, followed by Tiguan and Golf GTE.”

In terms of timing, Szaniecki said the flagship Touareg R would likely arrive in January next year, while the electrified Tiguan and Golf GTE were on track to enter the market a little later in the “first semester of 2023”, but discussions are still ongoing.

The Volkswagen Golf GTE blends a plug-in hybrid powertrain with the sportier looks and chassis characteristics of the fabled Golf GTI hot hatch.

The electrified powertrain is centred around a 110kW turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired to an electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The petrol mill and electric motor combine to develop a GTI-beating 180kW/400Nm, but the extra grunt is offset by a higher kerb weight which in turn hinders the GTE’s acceleration; 0-100km/h is up in 6.7 seconds while top speed is pegged at 224km/h.

By comparison, the 2.0-litre turbo GTI stops the clock in 6.4 seconds and tops out at 250km/h.

What the GTI can’t do, however, is cover a WLTP-verified 61km on electric power alone, nor can it match the GTE’s claimed combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 1.7L/100km.

While the GTE might appeal to hot or warm hatch buyers faced with a busy urban commute, those with an appetite for all-out performance will be licking their lips at the prospect of the mysterious 245kW Volkswagen Golf R Plus making its way Down Under.

Teased back in January but still to be officially revealed, Szaniecki said such a vehicle would most likely be sold here as a special-edition but that it was “too soon now to confirm all the details”.

Volkswagen Australia’s corporate communications general manager Paul Pottinger also suggested future special-edition Golf R hatches would feature Golf R wagon levels of torque (420Nm) and even more power.

“We’ve always done special-editions in the R space which have been really successful, so I think it would be reasonable to assume that any subsequent Golf R hatch might emulate the power figures we’re seeing teased overseas,” he said.

“Historically, the special-editions of GTI and R that we’ve done for Australia have been unique to Australia – specified different, more fulsomely than those overseas.”

Connecting the dots, the Volkswagen Golf R Plus could therefore pack a 245kW/420Nm punch and come fully loaded in terms of equipment.

Such a power bump will no doubt shave more time off the already-impressive 4.8-second 0-100km/h time – possibly even dip it into the low fours – and we reckon the raised 270km/h speed limiter and Akrapovic exhaust system offered optionally in Europe could feature too.

Watch this space…

Additional reporting: Alexandra Lawrence

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