Volkswagen R performance models to be all-electric by 2030

Volkswagen has made no secret of its intention to dominate Australia’s burgeoning EV space (even before it releases its first electric model here) and to axe production of petrol and diesel vehicles in Europe by 2033 – two years before the combustion engine is outlawed in Europe.

Now the German powerhouse has gone a step further by confirming its R performance brand will offer only electric vehicles by 2030 – three years before the rest of its model range and five years before it can no longer sell combustion vehicles in its home market.

The revelation came in a recent Autocar report that quoted Volkswagen R chief ??Reinhold Ivenz as saying: “In order to become a fully electric brand by the end of the decade, we're already taking the necessary steps today for the forthcoming transformation.

“The globally successful products from Volkswagen R are part of this exciting change process and will stand in [the] future for sustainable electric mobility.”

It's understood future Volkswagen R models will be based on the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming electric-only Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which will be the only EV chassis architecture used across the group from 2026, replacing Volkswagen's current MEB platform-based ID model family and its GTI-channeling GTX-badged performance flagships.

That effectively rules out any Volkswagen models getting an electric R variant while they’re still primarily combustion-powered models, but a Volkswagen spokesperson told Autocar there was already a number of “electric R models in the planning stages” and that the R model portfolio would be “gradually” converted to battery power.

However, the Volkswagen spokesperson said not every future (EV) model line would yield an R performance flagship.

“We’re currently assessing various concepts and possibilities but will only offer R models that meet our requirements,” the spokesperson told AutoCar.

The inevitable question now then is which battery-electric models will spawn a hotter R variant and which won’t, and what other electric models are in the pipeline and yet to be announced, potentially including an all-new flagship electric sports car.

An R-branded version of the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX electric hatch seems likely given it’s closest in concept to the Volkswagen Golf – VW's original R performance hero – and it could share its powertrain with the upcoming Cupra Born rear-drive electric hot hatch, as does the previously hinted-at Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV – the first Volkswagen EV to come Down Under, in late 2023.

An R performance flagship for the Volkswagen Passat-replacing Volkswagen ID.Aero also seems plausible.

Realistically we could spend hours speculating the different possibilities and the reasons supporting each theory, but perhaps the more interesting question is how capable will these electric R models be?

Kia is already harassing supercars with its ballistic Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai isn’t far off launching its related Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, meaning Volkswagen will have to up the ante considerably over the current 150kW GTX versions of the ID.4 and ID.5, all of which are earmarked for Australia.

But the German brand has already flexed its battery-electric performance muscles with its 500kW/650Nm Volkswagen ID R racer, which has held the Pikes Peak course record for EVs since 2018.

It will also be able to call on the advances, innovations and know-how of the other brands with the Volkswagen Group including Audi, Porsche and Bentley, all of which have high- and ultra-high-performance EVs either on the market or in the works.

The extra performance of future Volkswagen R electric models will be paired with quicker and more efficient charging capabilities, as well as access to “exclusive charging options”, which Autocar speculates to be exclusive charger access or subsidised subscription prices.

Volkswagen Australia’s newly expanded R performance model range comprises the Golf R hatch and wagon, the T-Roc R small SUV, Tiguan R mid-size SUV and, soon, the plug-in hybrid Touareg R large SUV – the German brand’s first electrified model in Australia.