New details have emerged on the next-generation Volkswagen Golf, which is expected to shed weight while gaining a more powerful GTI variant and a new plug-in hybrid model.
The Golf’s U.S. powertrain lineup should see get a thorough update for the new model, according to a report from Autocar. The biggest change will be the addition of a plug-in hybrid setup boasting 243 horsepower and upwards of 40 mpg. A 1.8-liter turbo four will likely replace the existing 2.5-liter inline-five as a base engine in the United States, while the GTI’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will get a healthy boost in power from 200 to 260 horsepower.
The GTI will also get a new electronically controlled front differential that VW says delivers “more agile steering behavior” and helps the car lap the Nurburgring eight seconds faster than it would with a conventional diff.
While the normal Golf is expected to be as light as the Mk4 version from the late 1990s, Volkswagen will take the car’s diet a step further with a special lightweight version, according to Autocar. While it is known that aluminum will be used in the car’s floor pressings, trunk floor and windshield base, it isn’t yet clear what models will get this special setup, though the GTI and plug-in hybrid are likely candidates.
All seventh-generation Golf models will ride on the group’s new MQB modular platform, which is cheaper to produce than the current generation. MQB stands for Modularer Querbauksten, a term which can be roughly translated to modular transverse matrix. The platform currently underpins the up! city car and will be the basis of a vast number of Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT products in the coming years. All-wheel drive and an updated version of VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control active dampers will be optional.
The next Golf’s design was penned by Walter da Silva, the head of Volkswagen’s design department. It will boast a sleeker profile than the current model and it will be longer, wider, and roomier. However, it will stay in line with the German brand’s current design theme and won’t be drastically different than the sixth-generation Golf.
The seventh-generation Golf is expected to debut at the Paris show in September before reaching U.S. shores in early 2013.
