New Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI debuts in Munich aiming to be a proper electric hot hatch
Volkswagen is bringing its electric Alpine rival to the Munich Motor Show
Get ready, Volkswagen's first all-electric GTI model is set to break cover at the Munich Motor Show next week.
The company introduced the ID. GTI concept to the world at the same motor show in 2023, now at this year’s event it’s planning on bringing out the highly anticipated production model, which will be given the Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI name.
The ID. Polo GTI was announced alongside the ID. Polo - with both names confirmed ahead of their camouflaged public debuts at Munich on 9 September. The new hot hatch is set to arrive on the market in 2026, but if you just can't wait, you can buy a used Volkswagen Polo GTI for under £9,000 through our Buy a Car service.
When the ID. Polo GTI does arrive alongside the standard car, it’ll mark the first time the GTI name has been used on an all-electric car – but it won’t be the last, because it’ll be joined in a few years by the ID. Golf GTI and possibly even a city-car sized ID.1 GTI.
Alongside the reveal of the camouflaged ID. Polo GTI, Volkswagen board member Martin Sander said: “We are bringing one of our strongest brands, the GTI, into the electric world. Also launching in 2026, the ID. GTI Concept model will go into production as the ID. Polo GTI. It will offer outstanding dynamics and plenty of driving pleasure.” Pricing for the ID. Polo is expected to start around £22,000, which would make the GTI variant possibly around £30,000 - similar to the current price tag of the petrol-powered Polo GTI.
We’ve previously been given a great look as to how the new ID. Polo GTI will look thanks to the ID. GTI concept from 2023. These latest official shots from Volkswagen show the car in near-production state with only a very thin layer of camouflage hiding the final design.
The overall shape is very similar to the concept’s and indeed the regular ID. Polo, with a conventional five-door hatchback profile. The size should be roughly the same as the concept, which was 4,104mm long - just three centimetres longer than the current Polo, but with a wheelbase of 2,600mm, which is closer to the current Golf’s. We can see the accompanying short overhangs and chunky 20-inch alloy wheels have been retained for the production car.
Other performance-oriented styling tweaks over the ID. Polo include a revised front bumper, bespoke LED headlights, extended side skirts, a larger overhanging rear spoiler and a rear diffuser. If the concept is anything to go by, we also expect to see a honeycomb-effect mesh grille in the lower portion of the front bumper, complete with motorsport-style towing eyes and plenty of ‘GTI’ badging throughout.
Volkswagen has yet to give us a look inside the ID. Polo or this GTI version, but sketches of the concept’s cabin showed a red-themed evolution of the ID. 2all concept’s interior, with a clean design dominated by a 12.9-inch infotainment screen but nevertheless featuring physical switches for all electric windows, plus the heating and ventilation, heated seats and audio volume. There are deep bucket front seats too, complete with an LED ‘heartbeat’ that pulses to show people outside that the car is secured and locked.
There are also golf ball dimple motifs on some of the centre console elements, referencing the original Golf GTI gearknob. The concept has a sophisticated augmented-reality head-up display that projects information for both driver and front passenger; VW says it could be used to show information like lap position, times or current race standings – though this item seems less likely to make production.
There are no motor and battery specifications or performance data for the ID. Polo GTI just yet, but the standard car will come with the option of two sizes: 38 and 56kWh. The larger battery pack will surely be used on the hot hatch and we know the ID. Polo GTI’s front-mounted electric motor is expected to have at least 220bhp to crack 0-62mph in just under seven seconds – figures that are pretty close to those of the existing Golf GTI.
To make the most of its power, VW has also said that the car will feature a modified version of the current Golf GTI’s electronic front differential. The company claims that it will be able to integrate this system’s processes and software into the electric-motor control unit “to an even greater extent than on the petrol models”.
Click here for our list of the best hot hatchbacks on sale...
Find a car with the experts
