2020 VW Golf will have more powerful GTI and Golf R versions

The new Golf Mk. VIII will also spawn a plug-in hybrid model, GTI, and Golf R, but the e-Golf appears to have been shelved.

Both of the Golf's performance-oriented forms, the GTI and Golf R, will get substantial increases in power for a total of 250 and 350 horsepower respectively. That will put the GTI on roughly equal footing with the Ford Focus ST and Subaru WRX, and the the Golf R at the same level as the Ford Focus RS and closer to the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 and GLA45 models.

The e-Golf, which VW had previously told us would arrive with a roughly 186 mile range, will disappear with the new generation according to Auto Express. The outlet reports that it's a casualty of VW's focus on the I.D. line, particularly the I.D. hatchback. That hatchback is due to arrive a year after the new Golf in 2020 for Europe, and VW says that it will deliver on the 373-mile maximum range (European cycle) quoted for the concept. In the U.S. the first I.D. product we'll see is the production version of the I.D. Crozz in 2020, followed by a version of the I.D. Buzz van in 2022. Of course, it's also possible that the current-generation e-Golf might linger on for a year until the I.D. hatchback goes on sale.

For more information on what's coming for the next-generation VW Golf, be sure to check out our previous coverage on the hatchback.