Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR due early 2019

Volkswagen’s fierce new Golf GTI TCR will retain the venerable hatchback’s most practical traits while offering unprecedented performance, stakeholders have confirmed.

Volkswagen Australia lifted the lid on what the upcoming hot hatch will look like today, confirming the new model’s upcoming arrival during a briefing in Sydney. What it didn’t unveil was how many examples of the limited-edition VW GTI TCR will be available here or, crucially, how much the TCR will cost.

Scheduled to arrive in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2019, the VW GTI TCR is the most powerful front-driven Volkswagen in history. It scores an uprated 2.0-litre turbo four with 213kW and 370Nm – similar to the all-wheel drive Golf R but well up on the regular Golf GTI's 169kW/350Nm outputs.

There are other performance touches too, helping to denote Volkswagen’s efforts in the international TCR production-based racing series – in which the Golf TCR has dominated.

Harnessing the increased power and torque, the latter available from a lowly 1600rpm, the TCR gets a mechanical-locking front differential. The car’s speed ceiling is set at 250km/h, with de-limited versions to hit a respectable 264km/h.

Unlike the three-door TCR previewed at this year’s Lake Worthersee enthusiast meet, the Australian version will be a five-door proposition and will be offered solely with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DSG).

Though there’s no word on its 0-100km/h sprint times, the GTi TCR has uprated brakes, suspension and gear-shifting to match the added urge.

Volkswagen wouldn’t be drawn on pricing, though we suspect the $50,000 mark will be a good place to start. Limited production – “don’t think 1000 cars,” says VW Australia – assures us this wicked-up Golf will be in hot demand.