Ready to roll later this month at the annual VW GTI fan fest at Lake Wörthersee in Austria, the Volkswagen Up! GTI Concept previews a car that will go into production early next year and be sold in various European markets. Recalling the spirit, character and performance of the original Golf-based GTI, this latest and most potent iteration of the diminutive Up! City car packs a turbocharged 1.0-liter/3-cylinder TSI gasoline engine that make 113 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque that heads to the front wheels via 6-speed manual transmission. That’s enough grunt to send the 2,198-pound Up! GTI from 0-62 mph in 8.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 122 mph. To more fully exploit that added potential, the car also boasts a sport suspension that lowers ride height by more than half an inch and also includes bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels and red painted brake calipers.
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Other neo-classic GTI touches found on VW’s new ultra Up! include a subtle red accent stripe across the grille, black double door-sill stripes, gloss-black mirror caps and a functional rear decklid spoiler. The retro-modern theme continues inside, where the Up! GTI features a leather-trimmed sport steering wheel, a GTI gear knob and the distinctive "clark" pattern cloth seat inserts. No word yet on pricing or exact on-sale dates. Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring the new Up! GTI or any other versions of the VW Up! to America.
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