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Volkswagen debuts wild GTI Roadster at Wörthersee fest

Video-game-inspired prototype wows the crowd at annual gathering of VW faithful

By John LeBlanc

Originally published: 11 hours ago

 

Volkswagen debuted the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo at the 2014 GTI Wörthersee festival. But don't expect to ever be able to drive the sweet-looking beast. It's just a prototype built after a video-game creation for Sony's Gran Turismo 6.

 

REIFNITZ, Austria — What started out as a handful of Volkswagen GTI nutters getting together over Germany’s traditionally long Father’s Day weekend has turned into one of the largest show ‘n’ shine car shows in the world. Officially known as GTI Treffen am Wörthersee — or roughly “GTI Get Together at Lake Wörthersee” in English — the GTI fan annual event was first held here on the shores of this Austrian Alpine lake in 1982. Since then, GTI Treffen am Wörthersee has evolved from a strictly casual gathering of GTI fans to a two-week festival of more than 150,000 sports compacts fanatics from around the world.

 

A day spent trolling the jammed and sometimes-cobblestone streets of this tiny Austrian village during the opening day of GTI Treffen am Wörthersee can be any eye-opener for anyone not aware of the massive cultural impact the Volkswagen GTI has had since it first arrived for Germany’s Autobahn in 1976. With vendors hawking everything from aftermarket GTI go-faster parts, wheels and body kits, t-shirts, jackets, hats and thong underwear to your very own GTI tattoo (temporary, I hope!) the cult of GTI is definitely on full display.

 

Car Review: 2014 Audi S1 Quattro

 

While the Wörthersee event is organized privately, back in 2006 the folks at Volkswagen Group headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, clued in that, perhaps, maybe they should take advantage of having all of these VW fans in one place. Every year since, the automaker has been showing up to officially support the GTI faithful and debut new production and concept GTIs, other VW models as well as new cars and concepts from its Audi, Skoda and Seat brands. And this year’s event was no exception, highlighted by the world debut of the Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo.

 

Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo at 2014 Wörthersee festival.
John LeBlanc, Driving

Like recent Vision Gran Turismo concepts we’ve seen from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, the Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo (the comma is VW’s official grammar) has been virtually created for Sony’s PlayStation Gran Turismo 6 video game. And even though you’ll only ever be able to “drive” the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo concept virtually, Volkswagen went to the extent of mocking up a full-scale model that the German automaker rolled out here on VW’s open-air Wörthersee stage amidst blaring music and smoke bombs.

As per the Volkswagen Design Vision GTI that debuted here in 2013, the wild-looking GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo is “virtually” powered by a 503 horsepower and 491 pound-feet of torque twin-turbocharged, narrow-angle VR6 gas engine, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that VW says, “is programmed to give incredibly fast shifts on the racetrack.”

As well, the GTI Roadster’s handling on a “virtual” Gran Turismo race track is optimized thanks to an integrated rear diffuser, a gigantic rear wing and a race-car-style front splitter, 20-inch wheels and VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive. VW claims a zero to 100 km/h time of around 3.5 seconds, but you’ll have to fire up your PlayStation to confirm that when the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo becomes available in the middle of next month as a download for Gran Turismo 6.

Sights from the 2014 GTI Wörthersee festival

While the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo may give clues to what Volkswagen’s GTI may look like in 2050, back in the present day, 12 apprentices from Wolfsburg unveiled their own idea of a future GTI here at the 33rd Wörthersee GTI meeting.

Dubbed the Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition, VW says the four women and eight men, aged between 18 and 23, developed the two-door GTI — highlighted by its Absolute red exterior with decor strips in Negro Magico black — in line with “their own ideas,” which they put into practice largely by handcrafting.

Completed in nine months, the Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition gets a modified 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder gas engine from the Golf R with 280 horsepower and a unique carbon-fibre air box and a hand-welded stainless steel exhaust system with a vacuum valve control allowing the volume of the engine sound to be regulated.

Volkswagen GTI Wolfsburg Edition at 2014 Wörthersee festival.
John LeBlanc, Driving

A few years ago at Wörthersee, VW indulged the cult of GTI with its mid-engine, twin-turbocharged, twelve-cylinder GTI W12 650 — as in 650 horsepower. Understandably, that Wörthersee show car never went on sale to the public. But VW continues to stretch the concept of a hot hatchback. And it did so again here at this year’s event with the rollout of the Golf R 400 Concept, previously only seen at this year’s Beijing auto show.

More viable as a future production model than the GTI W12 650, the GTI R 400 uses the same four-cylinder gas engine as in today’s GTI, but cranked up to offer 395 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Needless to say, a few GTI Wörthersee cultists had deposits in hand, but no one at VW was saying if this very hot hatch would ever get built.

By the way, I’ll let you know if my GTI tattoo washes off.

 

Volkswagen Golf R 400 Concept at 2014 Wörthersee festival.
John LeBlanc, Driving

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http://www.worldcarfans.com/114052976003/volkswagen-gti-roadster-concept-introduced-at-worthersee

Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept introduced at Worthersee

http://www.gtspirit.com/2014/05/30/volkswagen-gti-roadster-vision-gran-turismo-revealed-at-gti-meeting/

Volkswagen GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo Revealed at GTI Meeting

2014 Volkswagen GTI Roadster Concept

  

In 2014, at the legendary GTI meet at Wörthersee, Volkswagen is erasing the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds. That is because, in a world premiere, the inventor of the Golf GTI is presenting a show car which was originally created as a purely computer generated car in bits and bytes for the PlayStation®3 classic "Gran Turismo 6" ("GT6" developed by Polyphony Digital Inc.): the "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo". The two-seat convertible is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine that produces a power of 370 kW / 503 PS. The V6 TSI develops a maximum torque of 560 Nm between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm; 500 Nm of that torque is already available at 2,000 rpm in the direct-injection petrol engine. The enormous power of the TSI is transferred to the 20-inch wheel-tyre combination via a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) and all-wheel drive system (4MOTION). The lightweight 1420 kg super sports car reaches 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. V/max: 309 km/h!

Volkswagen and Sony Computer Entertainment. The "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" is the result of cooperation between Volkswagen and Sony Computer Entertainment. Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design at Volkswagen: "When Sony Computer Entertainment asked us if we would develop a Vision GT vehicle exclusively for the game to mark the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo we didn't hesitate for a moment." An in-house competition was immediately launched and young Volkswagen designers submitted their designs. The submissions were judged by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design for the Volkswagen Brand, and no less than Kazunori Yamauchi, Director of Polyphony Digital and Vice-President of Sony Computer Entertainment who is the inventor of the "Gran Turismo series".

Kazunori Yamauchi is a GTI fan

The Japanese executive has his own stable of super sports cars that includes the icon of all sporty compacts: the Golf GTI. Bischoff and Yamauchi finally chose two designs, which were then developed further. Designers Malte Hammerbeck and Domen Rucigaj were in charge of developing the exterior, whilst Guillermo Mignot was responsible for the interior. The entire development process was realised on the computer; even the 3D model of the vehicle was purely virtual.

GTI from PS3 game becomes reality

Together, the three colleagues formed a sort of "Vision GTI-GT6 task force" together with other designers. Just a few weeks later, their "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" was ready. Sony Computer Entertainment and Volkswagen unveiled the version for the virtual world of Gran Turismo 6 on 26 May. Just three days later a sensation: on 29 May Volkswagen will make the "GTI Roadster" that was designed for the PS3 a reality and present it as a superlative sports car at the GTI Meet in Reifnitz, Austria - in tribute to fans of the Golf GTI. And fans of the "GT6" world. From mid June "GT6" players will be able to download the "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" for PS3.

Most spectacular GTI ever

Since Volkswagen designers gave their fantasy free reign in designing the "GTI Roadster" for "GT6" - and were able to overlook production model constraints entirely (e.g. producibility and selling price) - the resulting car is certainly the most spectacular Golf GTI ever! Klaus Bischoff: "The Vision GT project offered a wonderful opportunity to sketch out extreme ideas and design elements of the GTI that are portrayed as vibrantly, dynamically and emotionally as possible. Further development of an unmistakable design and a love for detail reflect the high standard shared by the 'Volkswagen GTI' and the 'Gran Turismo' by Sony and PlayStation® product brands. We were all really pleased to have created a vehicle that game players can use to get an incomparable virtual impression of the world of the GTI."

GTI W12-650, Design Vision GTI, GTI Roadster

In designing the "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo", Volkswagen revolutionized the visual concept of the "Design Vision GTI" concept car that was presented at Wörthersee in 2013. It was further developed, reinvented and sent into the future as a roadster. The specifics: the roadster was completely redeveloped, however the "Design Vision GTI" of 2013 still paved the way, because Volkswagen used it to show how a GTI for motorsport might appear - for the first time since the "Golf GTI W12-650" was presented in Wörthersee in 2007. Important to know: design highlights of the 2013 concept car are the C pillars and side sills that flare out from the body on a second level. Designers exteriorised them as independent body elements to create space for the car's much larger track widths and specially developed 20-inch wheels. Despite its extreme modifications, the "Design Vision GTI", with a top speed of 300 km/h, had a very homogeneous appearance - as though it might start in a car race tomorrow. The reason is that designers based their work precisely on the fundamentals of Volkswagen Design-DNA - despite all conceivable freedoms of design. The same applies to the new "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo". A superlative two-seat convertible GTI which - and this is crucial - takes up the idea of the C pillars and side sills (carbon on the Roadster) and expresses it on another level.

Extreme proportions

Both concept cars show the potential of Volkswagen DNA, and that they will carry the GTI far into the future. The goal in the "GTI Roadster" was to push the "Design Vision GTI" concept to even greater extremes. The wheelbase of the Roadster, at 2,494 mm, is significantly shorter than that of the production GTI and the "Design Vision GTI". With its minimal overhangs and minimalistic height (1,090 mm) and width (1,894) that is extreme in relation to them, the 4,158 mm long Roadster also has proportions that will not only make the jaws of GTI fans drop.

C pillars and side sills as a new level

As mentioned, the biggest parallels between the two Wörthersee concept cars are found in the area of the C pillars and side sills. On the GTI Roadster, they are once again independent body elements, but this time they are integrated in a convertible sports car whose dual monocoque stylistically links to the world of Formula sports cars.

Exterior design - the GTI as roadster

Volkswagen designers developed a progressive super sports car for race courses that are virtually simulated. Despite this virtual nature, the "GTI Roadster" gives viewers a way to experience unique aspects of the GTI world. Moreover, all those who have seen the "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" live at Wörthersee and might want to even take the wheel in the dual monocoque sometime, can meld the virtual and real worlds on their monitor with a PS3 controller in hand.

GTI of the future

The fact is that the design of the "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" launches the original GTI and its seven evolutionary stages far into the future. The visual image of the visionary two-seater already promises a direct driving experience. Its extreme acceleration potential in interplay with its extremely swept-back windscreen makes the car very easy to experience directly, both in the game and in reality. The driver sits in the monocoque and races around the track of the GT6 world from the height and perspective of a Formula race car driver.

Aerodynamics is everything

The roadster body was aerodynamically optimised by numerous modifications. Visually prominent at the rear is the large spoiler or wing. It creates a strong downforce, which transfers the extreme engine power to the road in a controlled way via an all-wheel drive system (4MOTION). In the overall visual concept, it is fascinating how the rear spoiler is integrated into the design of the "GTI Roadster". Background: on the "Design Vision GTI" presented in 2013, the outlying C pillars transitioned into the roof. Now - as a defining design element of the side profile - they form a roll-over protection bar. The rear spoiler, with its lengthened design, gives the appearance of a wing hovering behind the roadster.

Red, the colour of the GTI

The "GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo" sports a radiant, intensive red metallic colour, a new interpretation of the "Tornado Red" monochrome colour - which is the classic GTI red. Designers gave the name "Gran Turismo Red" to the new colour. Malte Hammerbeck: "We were looking for a very provocative and aggressive red. The car should look fast - even when the car is standing still - and the paint should emphasise its surface contours. We had excellent success with this high-quality three-layer paint." All add-on parts are designed in matt carbon as an accent that complements the high-gloss red of the body. Only the radiator grille and the screen over the engine compartment vent are finished in high-gloss black.

Side profile - doors swivel up and forward

Just as cool as the rear spoiler are the doors that swivel up and forward. Visually, they split an extremely prominent character line into an upper and lower half. The contours of the doors are also very distinctive, because they are framed by the side sills (trimmed with the "Gran Turismo" badge at the rear), the C pillar and the extremely flared wheel housings. A small but exclusive detail on the sides: the illuminated GTI badge that is integrated in the "tornado" line. On the upper door section, the side window forms a line that rises forward with the low-profile windscreen. In this area, the GTI Roadster has the appearance of a speedboat; the mirrors with their carbon shells that are mounted on the door shoulders have the look of small wings.

Customised 20-inch wheels

The 20-inch GTI alloy wheels also have a new design. Designers worked body coloured elements into the wheels which are equipped with central locks; these elements form a red circle when the wheels rotate. The front wheels (8.5J x 20, ET32) have 235/35 ZR20 tyres, while the rear wheels (9.5J x 20, ET25) are equipped with 275/30 ZR20 tyres. A close look between the wheel spokes reveals the extremely sturdy ceramic brake discs. On the front wheels, the brake callipers grip discs that are 380 mm in diameter; the rear discs are 356 mm in diameter.

Front end - hovering modules

Viewed directly from the front, the roadster looks like a typical GTI - but one originating from the next decade. Since the concept car is just slightly over one metre tall, the front end was shaped to be extremely low and wide. The GTI front end has a three-dimensional design with bumper modules that appear to hover. Viewed from underneath: A carbon motorsport spoiler shaped as "blades" fills the space between the GTI and the road, and it increases downforce at the front axle. Above them are the bumper, which transitions into the wings on the sides, and a centrally integrated wide radiator grille with a screen in GTI honeycomb design. Its structure intentionally makes use of the available space, creating a distinct three-dimensional effect. The radiator grille is framed by a surface finished in body colour. To the sides of this surface are the vertically arranged LED daytime driving lights and the painted exterior surfaces of the bumper. Above them are the classic red GTI radiator grille cross-stripe, VW badge and GTI logo, another air inlet with honeycomb screen and dual LED headlights. Beneath the headlights, there are two other narrow LED strips for the daytime running lights, which form an unmistakable light signature together with the vertical daytime running lights. Highly precise in styling: the outer lines of the lower bumper air inlet wrap over the contours of the bonnet and towards the rear. This much is certain: On the race courses of the GT6 world, this unmistakable charismatic front-end look will cause some uneasiness when competitors see it approaching in their digital rear-view mirrors. The closer the GTI approaches, the more noticeable is its wedge-shaped air hood on the bonnet; hot air from the engine compartment is vented through it.

Rear section has 3D look

Viewed from the rear, the observer sees how the carbon blades at the front continue uninterrupted across the side sills and into the rear section as a wrap-around element. At the rear, they serve as aerodynamically optimised air guides. Together with the narrow elements in body colour that run parallel to them they frame the lateral air vents and the carbon diffuser in the middle. This diffuser is characterised by strong vertical precious metal slats and two rear light elements mounted in positions similar to those in motorsport. Extending to the sides above them is the bumper with trapezoidal dual exhaust tailpipes (with GTI badge) positioned in the middle of the car. On the next higher level, there are the narrow 3D LED rear lights mounted inside a painted cross bar, and above them the rear spoiler. Here too, designers made use of the depths at different levels as an additional dimension to achieve a 3D look.

Interior design - the GTI with dual monocoque

The driver and passenger are enclosed in a dual monocoque made of carbon. The two sides are partitioned by a middle bar that ascends from rear to front; it is open below. In this lower area, a fire extinguisher was made equally accessible to both driver and passenger, just as in a race car. The "GTI Roadster" is equipped with two race shell seats. The seating position is very low, nearly lying down, so it resembles the ergonomic proportions of a race car. The seats and the four-spoke grip steering wheel are covered with Alcantara. Another feature executed in motorsport style is the cockpit display on a V-shaped wing joined directly to the steering column trim - far forward of the driver. The steering wheel is mounted on a very long, exposed steering column, which is typical of a race car. Designers located the red, illuminated rotary light switch and shift paddles (7-speed DSG) to the left and right of the steering wheel's central axis. From there, they can be activated intuitively and ergonomically with the thumbs - without the drivers having to take their hands off the steering wheel.

Black, anthracite and a little red

The materials and colours of the interior and exterior were intentionally differentiated in the two different cars: the typical GTI-red is used for some interior accents - in the form of the 5-point safety belts, contrasting stitching on the seats, the handles for opening the doors and controls on the steering wheel - and the rest is used on the exterior. In the "GTI Roadster", however, the interior colour selections are reduced to "Black" and "Anthracite"; they are the typical interior colours for race cars. Nonetheless, the matt carbon in the cockpit (used for monocoque trim and the instruments) establishes a link to the exterior. Other dominant materials are Alcantara, Dinamica (like Alcantara, it too has microfibres) and aluminium. Inside the "GTI Roadster", most decorative elements were omitted in favour of an uncompromising and driver-active motorsport look. So that the driver can focus exclusively on the race track - in both the virtual and real worlds!

 

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Volkswagen Design Vision GTI Concept

      

The GTI meeting at Wörthersee is a veritable cult and pure automobile passion. Just like the car everybody is celebrating and driving there. There ought to be 150,000 fans showing up again in 2013. Traditional highlight: the world premiere of a concept car conceived by Volkswagen engineers and designers especially for the meeting. In 2013, it is a visionary GTI for car racing-the "Design Vision GTI." An unmatched 370 kW / 503 PS Golf. The progressive design study is based on the seventh-generation GTI that was launched just now in Europe, transferring the design and power potential of the icon to the world of car racing. Visually, particularly intriguing: The design team under the aegis of Klaus Bischoff (Head of Design of Volkswagen Brand) has drawn the C pillars and side sills outward as autonomous body elements, thus creating space for substantially enlarged track widths and specially developed 20-inch wheels (with 235 tyres in the front, 275 tyres in the rear). The "Design Vision GTI" achieves 300 km/h, and despite extreme modifications, it comes across as very homogeneous thanks to the precise styling based on the Volkswagen design DNA: this "Super-GTI" could start tomorrow in a racing series!

Drive system - technology and driving performance

The new Golf GTI is already more of a clear leader on the road than ever with an output of 162 kW / 220 PS or 169 kW / 230 PS (Golf GTI Performance), respectively. Now Volkswagen has more than doubled this power on board of the "Design Vision GTI," with the 503 PS (at 6,500 rpm) mentioned above. So what's working under the bonnet in the front is not a series four-cylinder but a V6 engine. As with the 2.0-litre engine of the production GTI, however, the 3.0 litre engine of the concept car is a TSI - a direct injection petrol engine with turbocharger. In this case, two turbochargers are on board. Two three-way catalytic converters arranged close to the engine optimise emission behaviour. The V6-TSI develops 500 Nm already in the lower engine speed range (as of 2,000 rpm) and a maximum torque of 560 Nm (between 4,000 rpm and 6,000 rpm). This force is distributed to the front and rear wheels via a dual clutch gearbox (DSG) and an all-wheel drive.

With this drive concept and a specially designed sports chassis, the "Design Vision GTI" virtually eats up any type of race track. And pretty damn quick at that: After a mere 3.9 seconds, the study is already going 100 km/h fast.

In order to slow down the GTI with corresponding power, going 300 km/h fast as mentioned above, Volkswagen uses ceramic brake discs all around. In the front, the brake callipers grip onto 380-mm discs; at the rear, the diameter is 356 mm. The ceramic brake discs and red-painted brake callipers shine through the spokes of the 20-inch alloy wheels, which have likewise been redesigned. The front wheels (8.5J x 20, ET32) are fitted with 235/35 tyres; the rear wheels (9.5J x 20, ET25) are equipped with 275/30 tyres.

The design of the new rims adopts the formal concept of the "Austin" GTI wheel, which in turn is a subtle derivative of the "Denver" GTI classic. The wheel of the "Design Vision GTI" features blades that are integrated into the design and discharge the hot air of the brake system optimally through the wheel openings. The wheel bolts are covered; this way, the appearance of a central lock is created. A shallow press-in depth allows for a slight key shape of the wheels, which in turn creates visually exciting reflections on the polished surfaces.

Visionary exterior

Two things become crystal clear when seeing the "Design Vision GTI" for the first time. First: This car is a Volkswagen. Second: This car is a Golf GTI. This may sound banal but it's exactly this visual clearness that is part of Volkswagen's secret of success. Klaus Bischoff: "We put our claim to be a global player on a new basis with the DNA of our universal design idiom. A design that visualises the brand's identity without a doubt is binding for all models that carry the VW logo. Thus each model is recognised as a true Volkswagen by its distinctive design." That also applies to extreme sporty cars like the "Design Vision GTI." Result: The concept car makes such a natural and obvious impression as if it could go into production tomorrow. Klaus Bischoff again: "We wanted to bring out the design elements of the GTI as concisely, dynamically and emotionally as we could so as to get to the heart of the fascination that this car emanates."

Two more things are likewise clear at first glance: First: This car is a racing car. Second: This car is impressive, extremely impressive. Both are to be ascribed to its distinctive racing design and its extraordinarily dynamic proportions.

Exterior dimensions

Already the production GTI shows extremely crisp proportions. Here the benefits of the new Modular Transverse Matrix (MBQ) take effect. Among other things, it enables the front axle to be arranged farther to the front. Result: a long wheel base and shorter front overhang. With 4,253 mm, the "Design Vision GTI" is exactly 15 mm shorter than the production GTI. This explained primarily by the more compact rear apron. The new Golf GTI is not more than 1,442 mm high. This measurement has been once more reduced by 57 mm to 1,385 mm in the "Design Vision GTI." Last but not least, the concept car is significantly broader: 1,870 mm instead of 1,799 mm. The track widths also fit the picture: For the Wörthersee GTI, it's 1,595 mm in the front and 1,579 mm in the rear; the production model, which is already quite self-assured, measures 1,538 (front) and 1,516 mm (rear). Thus the "Design Vision GTI" has even more extreme proportions than the production GTI. The ratio of height to width in particular indicates that the concept car belongs on the race track.

Exterior styling

Developing a show car for the GTI meeting at Wörthersee always presents the opportunity to outline extreme ideas and pack a solid portion of "emotions" into the draft. The guidelines for the designers are straightforward and clear-cut. Klaus Bischoff: "The team was to allow for a spectacular glance into the future of the GTI - in other words, to realise a vision." No problem for the designers. After all, with Marc Lichte, Andreas Mindt and Philipp Römers, the same team who developed the latest Golf and the new GTI, also collaborated in the development of the "Design Vision GTI." This team breathed the charisma of a race car into the concept car presented at Wörthersee.

By contrast, the colour concept of the "Design Vision GTI" is nothing if not classic. It follows the traditional GTI triad of "black - white - red." The paint is white ("White Club"), the add-on parts are black ("piano paint black"), and the GTI insignia as well as the strip integrated in the front are red.

Side profile. Probably the most concise feature is the C pillar in the side section designed as a detached element. To be more precise: The back roof pillar, which has always been characteristic of the Golf and hence of the GTI, is drawn outward as an autonomous design element, while the body narrows more strongly toward the rear. This process starts already right behind the front wheel with a vertical air outlet at the height of the front door joint. In parallel to that, the sill grows continually outward until its upper edge merges with the C pillar to spring forward again in the roof - a stylistic device that gives the spectacular shape of this GTI the necessary homogeneity.

A honeycomb grid, designed with the proverbial love for detail, closes the space between the widening and the body - a masterly achievement in terms of model building and attainable only with the help of computer-based technologies.

Front end. In a similar sculptural manner, the GTI design is varied in the front section. The radiator grille, the bottom air inlet and the side openings for the cooling of the brakes are combined with the headlights into a unit that is framed by an exactly defined edge. The precision and straightforwardness of its lines again follow the Volkswagen design DNA. Grille and air inlets - although re-interpreted - consciously underscore its relatedness to the production GTI; thus the honeycomb structure in the grids is a natural and obvious stylistic device. The so-called "blades" are an especially prominent detail, emphasising as spoiler edge the sculptural character of the front in the bottom area.

A shining core element of any front design is the headlights. Very consciously, the designers adopted the look of the production GTI here as well. Nonetheless, the concept car shows options of how headlights and radiator grill could look in the future: The red line typical for the GTI front divides the headlights of the "Design Vision GTI" horizontally. In the bottom half, the visual elements are set back; the design gives the "eyes" somewhat of a dramatic depth - an innovative variation of the "evil eye" popular with GTI up-daters. At this point, our Volkswagen designers like to speak alternatively of a "determined" look or simply about a "self-assured appearance."

The long and wide bonnet, whose lines extend sideways right into the bottom border of the side window graphics and toward the back up to the C pillar, thus making the body look longer and more powerful, also makes a definitely self-assured impression - a design feature that also distinguishes the production version of the new GTI from all its predecessors. The bonnet itself has an outside lid joint at exactly the same height as the horizontal all-round line that is typical for the Golf VII - a design motif with which the new Golf quotes the classic Golf I.

Rear end. Analogous to the front end, an all-round precise edge makes for a consistent picture in the rear as well. The integration of the rear spoiler is the same as for the production car, while the aerodynamically conceived ribs of the rear diffuser dominate at the bottom end; the diffuser is framed by the silencer end pipes. The design of the tail lights is well-known as an element of the Golf light signature typical for the brand. What's new here are the two horizontal "blades" arranged underneath that connect the rear and the drawn out side part with each other.

Interior design

Like with the exterior, the typical charisma of a GTI should be palpable in the interior as well - consistently sporty and fit for active driving yet cultivated when it comes to design features. Consequently, the credo of the team briefing by Tomasz Bachorski, Head of Volkswagen Interior Design: "Pure GTI. Concentration on the truly essential. But with style." Nothing easier than that. After all, the designers responsible for the concept car, Boris Grell, Jan Haacke and Guillermo Mignot, are at home in all Volkswagen interiors - from the up! to the Phaeton - and know how to fine-tune the interior concept individually to the character of each vehicle.

With regard to the "Design Vision GTI," the notion of "reduced design" so popular with designers has been radically applied. And this means: As few switches as necessary, and the ones that are left are arranged precisely and in such a way that they can still be operated intuitively even with a very sporty driving style. Thus the steering wheel is equipped with ergonomically optimised DSG gear shift paddles. And not only that: The driving mode switches are located ("Street," "Sport" and "Track") under the cross panels; the start button is on the right.

The designers have integrated the switches and rugged turn knobs for climate control as well as the hazard light switch and the activation of the on-board camera in the upper section of the centre console A vehicle main switch, a push-button for the fire extinguisher and the ESP deactivation are underneath, features that are typical for racing cars. The bottom part of the centre console is dominated by the DSG gear shift - it consists of a vertical handle with dynamic contours, as in racing.

The shapes of the dashboard and the centre console correspond to the well-known GTI interior in their configuration; they are arranged, though, in an even more driver-oriented way, as in motor racing. The surfaces are more taut, the edges harder and more precisely formed. The technical impression is reinforced by the partial use of carbon. Moreover, alcantara in "Anthracite" and "Titan Black" as well as nappa leather in "Black" and "Flash red" dominate the interior. One pleasant detail on the doors is a handle in the shape of a red loop - reminiscent of the Porsche Cup models. The space of the back seats is taken by an X-shaped cross member, which heightens the body stiffness another notch up. The seat belt retractors for the red suspender belts are integrated into the cross member. In the meantime, two black integral helmets are stored away close at hand under the cross member.

All purism notwithstanding - the designers also show how they imagine networking the "Design Vision GTI" with the social community: A large display to the right of the main instruments also shows the circuit in question and supplies information about the times driven. The show-stopper is: The display communicates with other vehicles on the course and calculates the details about the current status of the race in real time. Anybody wanting to have the community take part in the race can direct the cameras integrated into the A pillar either to the track or in the interior. Klaus Bischoff again: "The design of the interior is the area where we expect unusual technical and formal innovations. That's where we set the trends."

And finally: As spectacular as the "Design Vision GTI" is at first glance - the concept car will be still fascinating after you've seen it the umpteenth time. Because the viewer will discover new, exciting design elements each time he looks. And it becomes clear that the production GTI features the identical charisma of perfectly well-balanced sportiness - and not only for the ride on the race track but for each day of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYbKzg-_mNg