It's been almost exactly 48 years since the first Volkswagen Golf GTI model debuted in Germany, and now five decades later we're getting the first revolutionary all-electric performance hatchback from the German brand. The new VW ID GTI concept car is a bigger interpretation of many of the details found on the previous and popular ID2all all-electric concept compact hatchback , which seemed clear to have no destiny in the U.S. Here's everything we know about the new EV hot hatch so far, including the brand's prospects for bringing the model to the U.S. in a couple of years.

Currently, for the U.S., VW has the ID4 EV SUV, the ID Buzz EV van, and the ID7 EV sedan confirmed for the market. Those are all based on the MEB platform, and the ID2all was also based on a shortened version of the same. VW has already confirmed the new ID GTI Concept is based on the same platform with front-wheel drive and will get a production version eventually, likely due for 2026.

The "I" in "GTI" no longer stands for "injection" but instead now "intelligence," in reference to the onboard Vehicle Dynamics Manager computer; the ID GTI will also get an electronically controlled front-axle differential lock copped from the current-generation Golf. The VDM apparently allows for various different driving impressions based on Golf and GTI models of the past; a quote from the release: "For the first time, it is possible to adjust the drive system, running gear, steering, sound, and even the simulated shift points in the style of one of the historic GTI models—such as the original 1976 Golf GTI, the first 16-valve Golf GTI Mark 2 from 1986 or the 2001 Golf GTI Mark 4 '25 years of GTI'." The release calls the concept car an effective "time machine," which admittedly sounds pretty cool, if somewhat artificial.

The ID GTI Concept is only slightly larger than the ID2all it's based on; it's 161.6 inches long with a 102.4 inch wheelbase, 59 inches tall, and 72.4 inches wide. It rides on 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels wearing 245/35 performance rubber. Previously, VW advertised the ID2all as having all of the interior space of a Golf in a smaller overall package, thanks to the packaging efficiency of an all-electric platform.

The ID GTI Concept gets the signature red nose line and badging of the GTI brand, as well as a front light bar that illuminates behind a lit-up VW badge. Up front, there are also red tow points, a honeycomb style intake similar to the fifth-gen GTI, and a black front splitter. The eight double-spoke polished black wheel design is meant to evoke "the Pirelli rim from the Mark 1 Golf GTI and the Denver rim from the Golf GTI Mark 5," framed by matte black wheel arches.

At the rear is a black roof spoiler, with black "air guides" at the sides of the rear window, with a super wide LED third brake light across the top. There's also some eye-trickery with the blackened elements of the rear to remind you of the original GTI's black window surround and bumper.