Officially Revealed: Volkswagen Design Vision GTI Concept
One of the biggest tuning events this year is the Austrian Wörthersee festival, where the race car Volkswagen Design Vision GTI Concept was just revealed. The model is based on the seventh-generation GTI, but has substantially wider front and rear tracks, as well as runs on specially developed 20-inch wheels coupled with 235 tires in the front and 275s at the rear.
This concept is able of achieving a top speed of 186 mph thanks to the 503 hp (370 kW) developed at 6500 rpm by its engine. Namely, it is the turbocharged and direct injection TSI® 3.0-liter V6 engine that utilizes twin turbochargers. Two three-way catalytic converters are arranged close to the engine in order to reduce the emissions.
The torque here is estimated at 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque from as low as 2000 rpm and at 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) at 4000 rpm. All this power and torque is distributed to the wheels via a DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. These numbers allow effortless acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.9 seconds.
Furthermore, this Volkswagen is fitted with large carbon-ceramic brake discs in size 15.0 inches up front and 14.0 inches at the back. They and the red-painted brake calipers peek through the spokes of the 20-inch alloy wheels, which are 8.5J wide at the front and 9.5J at the back.
Design Vision GTI looks radical, because it's shorter, wider, and lower than a regular GTI. It is no less than 2.2 inches lower, at 54.5 inches, and it is 2.8 inches wider (73.6 inches). The track has also increased: at the rear it is now 62.2 inches (59.7 for the production GTI) and 62 .8 inches at the front (versus 60.6).
The color scheme for the model is in traditional GTI triad of black-white-red. The paint is white (in particular in White Club), the add-on parts are black (piano paint black), and the GTI insignia as well as the strip integrated in the front are red.
The C-pillar is drawn outward as an autonomous design element, while the main part of the body narrows strongly towards the rear. This process starts right behind the front wheel with a vertical air outlet that highlights the waisted doors. On the other hand, the sill grows continually outward until its upper edge merges with the C pillar.
What is more, the front end is also sculptural. Here the radiator grille, the bottom air inlet, and the brake cooling vents are combined with the headlights and framed by the front fenders and the hood.
At the same time, an all-round sharp edge is present at the rear. The taillights straddle the space between the C-pillars and the rear deck, while the integrated rear spoiler has the same position as the production GTI's. At the bottom of the car, the dominant elements are the aerodynamically conceived ribs of the rear diffuser and the exhaust tips that frame the assembly.
The interior of the Volkswagen Design Vision GTI Concept brings about the philosophy of "reduced design. This basically means - as few switches as necessary. For instance, the steering wheel here features an ergonomically optimized DSG paddle shifters.
In addition, there are number of controls integrated into the upper section of the center console such as the switches and rugged turn knobs for climate control, the hazard light switch, and the activation for the on-board camera. An electrical kill switch, a push-button for the fire extinguisher and the ESP deactivation are housed underneath. The car has three drive modes: "Street," "Sport" and "Track".
Another highlight here is that the race-car-feel is further enhanced by the partial use of carbon fiber. The latter is combined with "Anthracite" and "Titan Black" Alcantara as well as "Black" and "Flash Red" Nappa leather. The rear seats have gone, their space taken by an X-shaped cross member that additionally reinforces body stiffness.
Source: Volkswagen
