New Volkswagen ID.3 GTX: first spy shots and all the latest on VW’s electric hot hatch

The Volkswagen ID.3 received a mid-life facelift this year and to help give it further driver appeal a hot GTX variant is in the works - spied here for the first time. 

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about VW’s plans on giving its ID.3 more performance. Back in 2021, the then VW CEO, Ralf Brandstatter, said: “The decision is made. We have the ID.4 GTX and the ID.3 GTX will come.” 

We’ve also tried it in concept form. We were given a passenger ride in a concept model badged ID.X, as an early taste of what will eventually become the production model. We expect the final car will be toned down from the ID.X’s dual-electric motor set-up fed by a 77kWh (usable) battery for a total 328bhp output. The concept’s expensive KW coilover suspension probably won’t be carried over either.

9

It’s clear VW’s new creation isn’t too far away, especially now we’ve caught it testing on the public road. Judging by these images of a test car, it appears the production model will be toned down from the concept, replicating the overall subtle design approach of GTX cars. 

The ID.3 GTX arrives in the wake of the newly-unveiled ID.3 facelift. The exterior should borrow design elements from the concept but will be largely similar to the facelifted car. The front bumper shows a revised air intake and the side trim has been tweaked as well. We should see a sportier set of alloy wheels on the final product and to the rear there’s a slightly reshaped bumper. 

The interior will also benefit from elements added in this year’s facelift. The GTX’s launch will likely coincide with the facelifted car receiving a 12.9-inch infotainment screen (replacing the current 10-inch unit) and the ID.3’s 5.3-inch driver display should be retained.  

It’s likely that the ID.3 GTX will use the same twin-motor powertrain as the ID.4 GTX, producing 295bhp. In the smaller, lighter ID.3 with all-wheel drive, GTX will likely undercut the ID.4 GTX’s 6.2-second 0-62mph time.

The ID.3 GTX may have a short lifespan however, given what current VW boss Thomas Schafer told Auto Express at the 2023 Munich Motor Show: “The iconic names that definitely will be carried into the future are Golf, Tiguan, and GTI. That is given. The others, we look at on a case-by-case basis, but these three are done.” This suggests all-electric GTI models are in store - potentially replacing the GTX badge. “GTX was just an interim for the battery electric one, but we’re probably going to merge that in the long run”, said Schafer.

Now read more about the new ID. GTI Concept...