Volkswagen is the brand of acronym, the manufacturer that creates car concepts that are then imitated by its adversaries. There is a reason it is the strongest automobile group in Europe.
It happened in its day with the Golf, in its GTI version, whose three letters have gone down in automotive history to define its own category of automobile. The GTI became its own brand, like Coca-Cola or Levi's, and everyone knew what it was. But there are more examples, and with the passage of time and the evolution of technology, the GTD, TDI, TSI or GTE arrived.
This week, in the midst of the electrification of the brand and when the German manufacturer has just announced an increase in its net profit in 2023 and a rebound in vehicle sales, two new products arrive with the acronym GTX. Indeed, Volkswagen is expanding its range of electric sports models that also carry a three-letter acronym: GTX. A double world first, the ID.3 GTX and the ID.7 GTX Tourer.
They are not yet on sale, but the expectation is maximum seeing the result of their differentiated design, the features and the technology they incorporate. It must be that the Chinese are pushing hard (there are more brands and models in Europe every day) and are forcing us to react with cars that not only provide design and quality, but also prestige. Perhaps the only thing they still have left to achieve.
In short, two new firsts with an acronym that Volkswagen has used since 2021 and that define the sportiest models in the all-electric ID product line.
Volkswagen understood from the beginning that the GTX models had to be sporty and dynamic, and offer a unique and fascinating vision of electric mobility. And proof of success, commercial and conceptual, is that one in every five new ID.4 and ID.5 registered in Europe is from the GTX family. That is, despite the greater exclusivity of the GTX concept, Volkswagen has managed to popularize them among its customers.
And now it has transferred the successful driving dynamics to the ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX Tourer, with an individual technical configuration in each model.
Volkswagen will launch the rear-wheel drive ID.3 GTX in two variants. The top-of-the-range model is the ID.3 GTX Performance (326 HP), compact and agile. The GTX version, let's say normal, will have 286 HP. Both models incorporate a newly developed 79 kWh battery, with a range of 600 km. Data still pending approval.
The performance of these two versions is the best in the ID.3 range: the 286 HP model can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.0 seconds and reach 180 km/h, while the 326 HP model accelerates in just 5.6 seconds and reaches 200 km/h.
Regarding the Performance version, a prominent technical development manager has said: “With its instant and superior power delivery, the new ID.3 GTX Performance is for me the counterpart version of our iconic compact sports car, the Golf GTI Clubsport.” It is not a trivial statement, since it compares it to a 300 HP compact sports car.
Naturally, an electric motor and a turbocharged gasoline engine have little to do with each other. But the Wolfsburg brand wanted both the ID.3 GTX Performance and the Golf GTI Clubsport to share the same lightness when accelerating. And with the ID.3 GTX, Volkswagen brings the almost 50-year tradition of its compact GT models to the world of electric mobility. What we said above, if there is tradition (prestige) success is guaranteed.
What sets the ID.3 GTX apart from the rest of the range is its individualized exterior design. For example, the GTX-specific front bumper incorporates a new independent black air intake in a diamond design and features new daytime running lights. In addition, the black body elements have a glossy finish.
This shiny effect is also used in the newly designed side sills and in the new lower rear area with diffuser. Also new are the 20-inch Skagen alloy wheels as standard.
And inside there are a series of specific features that personalize it. Thus, with an ergonomic design, the premium sports seats (in fabric and leatherette) are standard and underline the sporty character of the most powerful ID.3 models.
Another classic design element of the GTX is the red decorative stitching on the seats and multifunction steering wheel. And, in the case of the most powerful ID.3 GTX Performance, DCC adaptive chassis control is also standard.
For its part, the ID.7 GTX Tourer will arrive with a recognizable front, different from the rest, with a newly designed bumper with a honeycomb grille and GTX-specific lighting graphics with illuminated badges. It also has body elements in high-gloss black. And like the ID.3 GTX, the ID.7 GTX Tourer will come with 20-inch Skagen alloy wheels as standard.
On the other hand, Volkswagen ensures that the interior has been refined with elements such as individualized seats (heated in the front) with perforated GTX lettering on the backrests, red piping on the seats, red stitching on the dashboard and the door trim. doors, as well as a GTX-specific multifunction steering wheel with red decorative stitching.
As it is a model with a more family-oriented approach, the trunk capacity can reach up to 1,714 liters, the same as in the rear-wheel drive variants. With all-wheel drive, the ID.7 GTX Tourer uses a dual motor system with a total of 340 HP, with a 79 kWh battery and a maximum speed of 180 km/h.
With no official marketing date or price announced, the two new members of the GTX family are expected to arrive during the second half of the year.
