2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Performance Concept Brings Touring Car Vibes to the Street

While Volkswagen's RacingLine has had a presence on racetracks in Europe since 1998, they haven't had much impact here in the U.S. That changes as VW introduces a 2022 Jetta GLI Autobahn using exclusive parts from their U.K. motorsports arm, and it is a massive rear wing away from looking the part. More power, a wider and lower stance, and those amazing looking Rotiform AeroDisc wheels just scream 1990s European touring cars.

This 2022 Jetta started out life as just another GLI Autobahn model and, while nothing to sneeze at, there was just something missing. That had to change and there was only one team that VW could trust to make it happen: RacingLine. This motorsports subsidiary of Volkswagen has been building and tuning various VW Group vehicles since 1998 and have the racing pedigree to build some very fast and powerful cars. But more power wasn't going to make this into a true Autobahn-worthy terror. While working with VW's Design Center in California, RacingLine set about to create a touring car with some street civility. If only just.

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First up, the look and stance of the GLI needed to change, but it needed to do so without ruining the clean looks of the Jetta with a set of bolted-on fender flares. What the team did was push out the features of the front and rear fenders 0.8 inch wider than factory while also adding some functional backside vents to let that trapped air behind the tires escape. The front and rear bumpers are also modified, with the front bumper receiving larger grille intakes and the rear bumper grille inserts massaged to fit the new width of this Jetta. The new lower rear valance also gives the new dual tailpipe exhaust a clean exit from the rear of the bumper. The Kings Red Metallic is a factory-available paint, but it's enhanced with a hexagon-themed matte black vinyl wrap that transitions into that factory color.

In order to not look like it skipped leg day, the GLI Performance Concept uses RacingLine's TrackSport coilovers. These inverted coilovers use an inverted design, where the piston rod is larger and connects to the suspension while the body of the damper connects to the body. Finishing off the touring car looks are a set of Rotiform GRZ wheels with their AeroDisc covers. This gives the GLI some of that old-school touring car pedigree with those iconic aerodynamic wheels you remember from 1980s and 1990s road racing cars. If you're looking to equip a set of AeroDisc covers on your Rotiform-equipped GLI or Jetta, the graphics you see on these covers are available on Rotiform's website.

These wheels are also mounted using RacingLine's Wheel Stud and Nut Conversion Kit. This changes the GLI from wheel bolts that fasten directly into the hub and converts them to more traditional—and motorsports approved—lug studs and wheel nuts as you see on most U.S. and Japanese cars. On top of the suspension rework, the underbody of the GLI Performance concept sees a set of RacingLine's underbody braces to reduce subframe deflection and provide a more accurate suspension geometry under load-intense cornering. Getting to a stop are a set of RacingLine's Stage 3 Plus six-piston forged caliper brake kit with 15-inch diameter carbon-ceramic discs.

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Of course, all of the looks and suspension of a touring car isn't going to offer someone much without the engine performance to back it up. Thankfully, RacingLine's experience in motorsports comes to the rescue once again and this EA888 Generation Three engine is far from stock. The first change was to add on their IS38 turbo performance package. This includes their R600 carbon fiber Cold Air Intake and Performance Intercooler. RacingLine's Oil Management Kit and Oil Cooler also aid in thermal management of the engine oil. The modifications result is a total output of 350 hp and 372 lb-ft of torque, directed to the factory GLI six-speed manual transmission through an upgraded RacingLine Performance Clutch.

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The 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Performance concept is one of many builds by VW America and their partners in the industry for the 2022 SEMA Show. You can find them all in Booth 10509 of the North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 1-4.