Volkswagen R Performance brand will go electric
The brand new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf R is due to be released later this year. It’s a four-wheeled drive, 2.0-litre turbo’d hot hatch that is going to tick many boxes and make you think ‘wow, this care really does have everything that I need!’.
This already annoying competent in a performance car is not only fast and exciting, but it’s also received a makeover and is going look completely different as the future Volkswagen R model.
The reason why? It’s going to be electric. Jürgen Stackmann a VW Group board member, spoke to Top Gear and has confirmed that while the future of VW’s R performance is going to boast a vibrant arm it’s also going to be electric. This is certainly something that many people are now looking for, so for an option like to be introduced, it shows that the up and coming world of electric cars is growing and it’s growing fast.
He said:
“The future of R needs to be, and will be, electric,”
“We’re still working on what we started two and a half years ago – which was obviously not electric, though exciting – but the work going forward is and will be electrified.”
He also pointed out the more recent unveiling of the Touareg R which is the first R-badged VW model that has a hybrid powertrain.
He noted that it “needs to be seen” whether the R brand goes full-electric, or indeed another ‘in-house’ brand takes on the Teslas of this world.
Volkswagen R is the brand that Volkswagen use to indicate a high-performance model. This R badge is most commonly known in connection with the Golf R. But there are a fair few other R models, including models like the ID.R race car.
The line-up that VW have ready for us with their ID electric cars has tonne load of potential. With the prospect of the R model’s high-performance creating even more anticipation. However, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves just yet. The first of VW’s new releases of EV’s is the ID.3 and it’s starting to roll out in Europe next month. But the U.S is having to wait around a year for the ID.4 electric crossover to reach its shores.
In terms of performance that you can expect from the hybrid Touareg R matches a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine (336bhp) with a 14.1kWh lithium-ion battery packed into the boot, this powers an electric motor that provides an additional 130bhp. VW have quoted a rather respectable total power as 456bhp.
If you have seen the I.D.R then you will already know that VW has been smashing records left right and centre with this grown breaking race car. The technology that has gone into this marvellous creation will no doubt influence the future R-badged road cars.
The company have certainly been busy and with so many different ID models been released, it can be a little hard to keep track of when they’re coming. Including an R variant of one of it’s EV’s is now something for us to eagerly await.