Volkswagen Up! GTI confirmed for production

Volkswagen has confirmed the Up! GTI will go into production and will go on sale officially in 2018.

After showcasing the concept earlier this year, Volkswagen has now confirmed they will put the Up! GTI into production. The concept was a tribute to the Mark 1 Golf GTI with similar power output and styling.

The original Golf GTI from 1975 had a 1.8-litre petrol motor which developed 110bhp. The 1.0-litre, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine in the Up! GTI produces exactly the same amount of power and 200Nm of torque. The Up! GTI takes 8.8 seconds to reach 0-100km/h and maxes out at 196km/h.

Even in terms of exterior and interior size and dimensions, the Up! is similar to the original Mark 1 Golf. The Up! GTI will be offered in Red and Pure White, with the metallic options of Dark Silver and Black Pearl as well.

The Up! is no exception to the GTI family interior and exterior traits. At the front, the black honeycomb radiator grille gets the red stripe with the ‘GTI’ badge incorporated above. On the sides, double black stripes run across the door sills and the exterior mirror housings are finished in high-gloss black paint. The Up! GTI on redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels, and sits 15mm lower than the standard car. It also features roof spoiler designed to provide greater downforce on the rear axle which would result in better handling. The interior comes with typical GTI features with a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, the GTI gear lever and the ‘Clark’ seat pattern upholstery.

At the moment, Volkswagen is accepting booking for the Up! GTI which will make debut in production form soon, however, they have revealed its 16,975 euro price tag.