Volkswagen has revealed details on its upcoming Up!
GTI, a back-to-basics runabout that draws parallels to the 1976 Golf GTI Mk1
and will compete with the Abarth 595.
The Volkswagen Up! GTI packs a turbocharged
1.0-litre three-cylinder engine punching out 113 Hp and 230 Nm. Not much, but
consider the tiny hatch only weighs 997 kg. V-max is 197 km/h and the claimed
0-100 km/h acceleration time is 8.8 seconds.
The Volkswagen Up! GTI you see here is a
near-production concept that’ll make its public premiere at the annual GTI Meet
at Lake Wörthersee on May 24. Fitted is the “typical insignia” of a GTI,
including red stripes in the radiator grille, seat covers in tartan pattern and
paint options limited to flat red, flat white, or metallic silver, black or
light blue.
Volkswagen claims the 15mm lower, and stiffer, Up!
GTI will “certainly bring a new dimension of driving fun to the compact class”,
with the agility of a go-kart. The production version of the Up! GTI will be
launched into the market in early 2018.
