Volkswagen R Brand To Go All-Electric In 2030
This might be your last chance at a gas-powered Volkswagen R vehicle.
Press releases and rumblings seem to point to a full stop of ICE-powered Volkswagen R vehicles. The hi-po moniker is reserved for the superpowered trims of Volkswagen vehicles, like the Golf R, or Europe-only Passat R. Well, a recent press release is firm – “The future of R is electric.”
Volkswagen did confirm that “several electric R models are in the planning stages,” meaning the brand is definitely serious about putting a hot-rod EV in its lineup. Which vehicle this will be, remains yet to be seen. Currently, Volkswagen does have GTX sporty trims of its ID.4 and ID.5 crossovers in Europe, but nothing similarly sporty exists here in North America. The ID.4 GTX’s 295 horsepower output is identical to the dual-motor ID.4s, we’d hope that any future speedy VW would best those efforts. Also, all of VW’s North American EV efforts are SUVs; we’d bet that the first electric R will likely be a crossover.
Volkswagen does have a supercar EV prototype, dubbed the VW ID.R. The ID.R is a 671 horsepower, low-slung time-attack vehicle, setting a record for the fastest EV up Pikes Peak back in 2018. Likely, Volkswagen will use engineering lessons learned on the ID.R project, for future EV Volkswagen high-performance special editions.
Whichever model Volkswagen chooses to make an electric R out of, one thing is sure, the first EV R product will happen in 2030.
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Kevin has been obsessed with cars ever since he could talk. He even learned to read partially by learning and reading the makes and models on the back of cars, only fueling his obsession. Today, he is an automotive journalist and member of the Automotive Press Association. He is well-versed in electrification, hybrid cars, and vehicle maintenance.
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