The annual Volkswagen Golf GTI Festival had been scheduled to occur near Lake Wörthersee, Austria, in May this year, but it looks like no one bothered to tell Covid-19 about those plans. In the end, Volkswagen decided to take matters in its own hands and unveiled the innovative Golf GTE HyRACER Concept during an online event.
A team of 13 interns from various VW dealerships throughout Germany created the vehicle based on the seventh-gen Golf GTE. The hybrid, which comes equipped with a 1.4L turbo and a single electric motor, received a boost from 204 hp (152 kW) to 250 hp (186 kW). They also updated the bumpers, installed fender flares (+80mm / +3.1” body width), and moved the exhaust tips closer together. Further mods included black 19-inch wheels, a large tailgate spoiler, performance brakes and adjustable suspension with 40mm (1.6”) lowering capacity.
Crack open the door, and you will see a redesigned dashboard, Alcantara trim and blue accents throughout. The headrests sport the name of the car in an embossed print, and the trunk compartment is now large enough to fit two electric scooters (as well as charge them up from the car’s own battery).
Like many other Wörthersee design studies, the Volkswagen Golf GTE HyRACER has no production prospects to look forward to. In all likelihood, it was not the only novelty the German automotive giant wanted to show us at the festival, so we may as well hear more from it soon. Stay tuned!