The VW Golf GTI Will Stay ‘Definitely Into The 2030s’

Having lost its manual gearbox, the Golf GTI isn’t as desirable as it used to be. You could argue that interior quality has taken a hit compared to the excellent Mk7. Not that the Grand Touring Injection ever had an exciting design, but the Mk8 perhaps looks too restrained. Despite all this, at least VW is making efforts to keep the car alive in a shrinking segment. The gradual demise of gas-powered hot hatches is being accelerated by stricter emissions regulations and higher taxes, especially in Europe.

Better yet, VW is pledging to keep the Golf GTI around for a long time. Speaking at the Nürburgring with VW enthusiast Jamie Orr, the automaker’s boss was asked whether the car still has a future in the company’s increasingly electrified lineup. CEO Thomas Schäfer vowed to sell the gas-fueled performance hatchback well into the next decade: “Definitely in the 2030s, still strong presence of the ICE vehicles.”

However, his following statement has us worried: “Probably a little bit electrified.” Perhaps VW intends to give the Golf GTI a hybrid setup at some point? It has already happened with the GTE, a plug-in hybrid version not sold in the United States. Whether the two will be merged at some point is unclear, although we’re hoping Schäfer was referring to a mild-hybrid system to minimize the weight penalty.

It’s also worth noting that the GTE doesn’t have the 2.0-liter engine but rather a smaller 1.5-liter unit, paired with an electric motor powered by a 19.4-kWh battery. While the GTE delivers 268 hp, the GTI offers up to 320 hp in the new, not-for-America Edition 50. Speaking of forbidden fruits, the US also misses out on the 296-hp Clubsport, both of which remain front-wheel drive like the regular GTI.

Whatever VW is planning for the GTI, Schäfer was referring to the current-generation model. Wolfsburg has already confirmed the ninth-gen Golf, due later this decade, will be exclusively electric. Kai Grünitz, the board member responsible for technical development, strongly suggested last year that the Mk8 could stick around until 2035, when the European Union plans to ban sales of new combustion-engine cars. That would mean VW would concurrently sell two generations of the Golf for five to six years before transitioning fully to the electric Mk9.

While the interview focused on the Golf, we’d be remiss not to mention the Polo GTI. The spicy supermini is still available in some markets. However, it’s pricey. In Germany, it starts at €35,450 ($40,600), which is still about €10,000 ($11,500) less than a base Golf GTI. We reckon the smaller of the two hot hatches is likely to bow out first.

If you’re open to going electric, VW is already hyping up a GTI without a combustion engine. Schäfer recently said a Golf GTI EV will be a “monster” and will be followed by a purely electric Golf R as well. Both will be based on the aforementioned Mk9, which will abandon the MQB platform in favor of the VW Group’s delayed Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). The next-gen Golf is scheduled to debut in 2029, with Rivian assisting in developing its electrical architecture and software.

The Golf isn’t the dominant force it used to be in its heyday. VW made more than one million units (including wagons) in 2015, but only a little over 300,000 cars last year. For 2025, it estimates production will continue to decrease, falling to just 250,000 vehicles. That would represent a 75-percent drop in only a decade, with works council chief Daniela Cavallo telling Reuters“the trend is an unstoppable decline.”