Volkswagen has gone a little bit mad with the budget for the annual Wörthersee festival in Austria.
Though there are plenty of other concepts and custom models on show, the star is the Golf GTE Sport concept, an extreme two-door hatchback powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain putting out up to 400hp, yet with the ability to drive for up to 50 kilometres on electric power alone. It's not designed to go into production, but we can't help but wonder if Volkswagen's next Scirocco coupe will look a little like this.
Exterior
The Golf GTE Sport evolves further Volkswagen's recent concept car language and there are plenty of mentions in the press material of bridging the gap between past concept cars and showroom-ready GT models of the future. So we can expect some of the treatment of the concept's nose to make it through, perhaps, but the extravagant rising doors and side sills aren't going to be put into production any time soon. More's the pity. Behind them is a distinctive C-pillar design that incorporates a semi-hidden aerodynamic element. It's visible from the rear of the car, which appears particularly wide. In spite of that, it's unmistakably an evolution of the Volkswagen Golf's design language. As with the current Golf GTE, there are C-shaped LED daytime running lights up front, plus full-LED headlights. The body is mostly made of carbon fibre and the relatively plain alloys are 20-inch in diameter.
Interior
Inside, the Golf GTE Sport exhibits a motorsport theme, with two racing bucket seats and five-point harnesses mounted well back in the chassis. The stylised steering wheel sits atop a long carbon fibre column and most controls are integrated into the cocooning cockpit sides - themselves constructed from carbon fibre. The instruments are made up of transparent displays at different levels and the ideal racing line can even be projected into the line of sight of the driver. Meanwhile, he chooses from E-Mode, GTE-Mode or Hybrid-Mode from a switch built into the roof.
Mechanicals
The hybrid system propelling the concept is made up of a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (apparently based on that in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC) producing 299hp and 400Nm of torque, a lithium-ion battery and two electric motors of 85kW output (about 115hp). One of the motors is integrated into the casing of the front-mounted six-speed DSG automatic gearbox, while the other sits on the rear axle - allowing the use of four-wheel drive at times. Total maximum system outputs are quoted at 400hp and 670Nm; while in the sportiest driving mode it can accelerate the GTE Sport to 100km/h from rest in just 4.3 seconds and hit 280km/h.
Though Volkswagen describes the concept as a motorsport machine, it is designed to drive for up to 50 kilometres on electric power alone, which enables a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of just 2.0 litres/100km (141.2mpg).
Anything else?
Only slightly less exciting than the GTE Sport show car is the GTI Clubsport concept, a 265hp development of the current Volkswagen Golf GTI with trick aerodynamics and a racing-inspired interior. What's more, it's going into production too in 2016, to celebrate the GTI's 40th anniversary.