According to Autocar, the sudden u-turn was implemented by current Volkswagen Group Chairman, Herbert Diess, and will in fact result in the next GTI, due to be unveiled in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, using an updated version of the long-serving 2.0 TSI EA888 engine, albeit now without the assistance of the 48-volt mild-hybrid battery system as alluded to originally by Diess’ predecessor, Matthias Müller.
Riding on a more developed version of the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, the five-door only Mk VIII GTI, based on the publication’s claims, will again be offered in two states of tune; 188kW and 213kW in the case of the TCR that will officially replace the previous top-spec GTI Performance.
In its flagship guise with torque set to surpass the 370Nm offered by the Golf 7.5 TCR (pictured), the Mk VIII GTI TCR will reportedly dash from 0-62mph (100km/h) in “less than six seconds”, and top out at 250km/h. Despite the dropping of the standard manual gearbox on the Mk 7.5, the Mk VIII will carry the transmission over and be supplemented by the seven-speed DSG.
Further difference compared to the Mk 7.5 will be a heavily reworked electro-mechanical power steering system, subtle exterior tweaks and an all-new interior featuring the 12.3-inch Active Info Display digital instrument cluster and the bigger Discover Pro infotainment system.
