Last week, Volkswagen ripped the covers off the all-new, all-electric ID. Polo GTI. It isn’t available for purchase just yet, with the German company calling this a ‘near-production concept vehicle’. But 50 years after the first GTI debuted, showing off the new one now makes sense.
It appears to have retained much of the GTI character. It uses what VW calls the “Volkswagen Pure Positive design language”, including the iconic red stripe across the front end.
You can’t have the ID. Polo GTI yet
At the heart of the new ID. Polo GTI is a new drive system, called ‘APP290’. VW says this stands for ‘axial parallel position’ while the ‘290’ indicates the maximum torque. This new system includes the electric motor, a 1-speed gearbox with a pulse inverter, and a 52kWh lithium-ion battery system.
This translates to a maximum output of 166kW of power sent to the front wheels, resulting in a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds. Top speed is capped at 175 km/h.
The 52kWh battery pack should be good for up to 424km of range on the WLTP and supports fast charging, up to 105 kW from a DC charge station. VW reckons this will get you from 10% charge to 80% in around 24 minutes. It pegs the preliminary combined power consumption between 16.4-14.4 kWh/100 km.
It also looks like VW has remembered to update the interior along with the drivetrain. The ID. Polo GTI features suitably sporty red and black cabin styling. There’s a 10.25in digital instrument cluster in front of the driver, almost a standard feature in 2026, along with a centre-mounted 12.9in infotainment touchscreen. Thankfully, it looks like a few physical controls will stick around. There’s even a dedicated ‘GTI’ button on the steering wheel to activate “a driving profile developed exclusively for this model,” according to VW.
Unfortunately, there’s no telling when, or even if, South Africa will have a chance to play. The ID. Polo GTI is meant to go on sale in Europe ‘soon’ for around R755,550 (€39,000) when directly converted and without accounting for taxes. Hopefully, we’ll see it at some point in the future.
