Expected to debut in 2024, the hotter ID.3 should predate the recently confirmed all-electric GTI coming in 2026

It’s clear that Volkswagen is actively developing an electric hot hatch, with previews like the ID.X concept. This model will be built on the ID.3 platform. Our spy photographers recently captured another prototype of the vehicle during cold-weather testing, and there’s growing speculation about what it will be named.

Since the inception of the ID. line, VW has been using GTX to denote their performance-oriented EVs, but when the automaker revealed the smaller ID. GTI concept back in September, they signaled to the world that the storied GTI name might not be reserved for combustion-engined vehicles. Then, a few days ago, VW head of design Andreas Mindt confirmed that this would indeed be the case, and that an all-electric GTI model will be coming in 2026.

Read More: Will VW’s ID.3 GTX Actually Be An ID.3 GTI?

We spoke to Mindt and he confirmed that it will indeed be the production version of the ID. GTI concept, which itself is a hotter version of the ID.2all concept. However, VW has expressed interest in phasing out the GTX name altogether, meaning we could see the ID.3 GTX become the ID.3 GTI, assuming they don’t name it that way from the get-go when it debuts next spring.

Regardless of the name, the prototype doesn’t give us much to differentiate it from the regular ID.3, though it does feature a sportier front bumper design with a mesh lower valence. But given the overall design language of the car is still based on the pre-facelift ID.3, and the fact that it is still a prototype, the final design is obviously subject to change. Aside from the bodywork, though, the hatchback also features larger wheels and a lower stance giving us another peek at its performance potential.

See Also: 2024 VW ID.3 GTX Spied As An Electric Hot Hatch

As for what that performance entails, it’s expected that VW will go the way of a dual-motor AWD setup for the electric hot hatch. Likely borrowed from the ID.4 and ID.5 GTX, the system would output a healthy 335 hp (339 PS / 250 kW), which is up from the 295 hp (299 PS / 220 kW) of the older models. VW quoted 2021’s ID.X concept with a 5.3-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time, and that car used the old 295-hp setup, so there’s a solid chance the updated drivetrain could see it break into the high 4-second range.

That kind of power and speed combined with all-wheel drive would cement it as a top player in the segment, but with extra motors comes extra weight, and the lightest single-motor ID.3 already tips the scales at 3,907 lb (1,772 kg). Unless VW can find a way to manage its weight, we’re a bit wary of this car’s tossability, and at the end of the day, that quality can make or break a hot hatch.

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