Volkswagen and SKODA have revealed their respective concept cars at Wörthersee. Both companies had released a series of sketches and renderings previewing the designs earlier on in the week.

Of the two design studies, the “Design Vision GTI” is more noteworthy. Whereas the standard new Golf GTI has an output of 169 kW / 230 PS, VW has more than doubled this power on board of the concept GTI, which lists an increased output of 370 kW / 503 PS (at 6,500 rpm).

So underneath the bonnet in the front lies not a series four-cylinder but a V6 engine instead. As with the 2.0-litre engine of the production GTI, however, the 3.0 litre engine of the concept car is a TSI – a direct injection petrol engine with turbocharger. In this case, two turbochargers are on board. Two three-way catalytic converters arranged close to the engine optimise emission behaviour. The V6-TSI develops 500 Nm already in the lower engine speed range (as of 2,000 rpm) and a maximum torque of 560 Nm (between 4,000 rpm and 6,000 rpm). This force is distributed to the front and rear wheels via a dual clutch gearbox (DSG) and an all-wheel drive.

In order to slow down the GTI with corresponding power, the car uses ceramic brake discs all around. In the front, the brake callipers grip onto 380-mm discs; at the rear, the diameter is 356 mm. The ceramic brake discs and red-painted brake callipers shine through the spokes of the 20-inch alloy wheels, which have likewise been redesigned. The front wheels (8.5J x 20, ET32) are fitted with 235/35 tyres; the rear wheels (9.5J x 20, ET25) are equipped with 275/30 tyres.

The design of the new rims adopts the formal concept of the “Austin” GTI wheel, which in turn is a subtle derivative of the “Denver” GTI classic. The wheel of the Design Vision GTI features blades that are integrated into the design and discharge the hot air of the brake system optimally through the wheel openings. The wheel bolts are covered; this way, the appearance of a central lock is created. A shallow press-in depth allows for a slight key shape of the wheels, which in turn creates reflections on the polished surfaces.

With 4,253 mm, the concept study is exactly 15 mm shorter than the production GTI – the result of a more compact rear apron. The new Golf GTI is no more than 1,442 mm high. This measurement has been further reduced by 57 mm to 1,385 mm in the Design Vision GTI. Last but not least, the concept car is significantly broader: 1,870 mm instead of 1,799 mm.

By contrast, the colour concept of the design is nothing if not classic. It follows the traditional GTI triad of “black – white – red”. The paint is white (“White Club”), the add-on parts are black (“piano paint black”), and the GTI insignia as well as the strip integrated in the front are red.

With regards to the interior, the notion of “reduced design” has been applied. Basically this means as few switches as necessary, and the ones that are left are arranged in such a way that they can still be operated intuitively.

The shapes of the dashboard and the centre console correspond to the well-known GTI interior in their configuration; they are arranged, though, in an even more driver-oriented way, as in motor racing.

Klaus Bischoff, Marc Lichte, Andreas Mindt and Philipp Römers, the same team who developed the latest Golf and the new GTI, all collaborated in the development of the concept racer.

Tags: Andreas Mindt, car design, concept car, Design Vision GTI, Golf GTI, Klaus Bischoff, Marc Lichte, Philipp Römers, ŠKODA Rapid SPORT, V6, Volkswagen, Worthersee