Volkswagen will take the wraps off two Golf concepts at this year?s Wo?rthersee car meet in Maria Wo?rth, Austria. Both cars are the brainchildren of Volkswagen’s group of young apprentices from the company’s German manufacturing facilities.
Marking a decade of concept cars presented by Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg apprentices at Wo?rthersee, the aptly named Golf GTI First Decade concept sports an innovative gasoline-electric powertrain that pairs the company’s ubiquitous turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a rear-axle-mounted electric motor. The all-wheel-drive concept offers three drive modes: a front-wheel drive mode that leaves forward momentum to the 402-hp four-cylinder engine and its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, an all-wheel-drive mode that lets the 16-hp rear-mounted electric motor get in on the action, and a rear-wheel-drive mode that allows the concept to drive short distances on electricity alone. Power to the rear motor is supplied by two rear-mounted batteries, and charging is done via the car’s regenerative-braking system. Custom paintwork, a rear spoiler from the GTI Clubsport, and chunky 20-inch wheels separate the GTI First Decade from your typical run-of-the-mill GTI.
Although the powertrain advancements may be the GTI First Decade concept’s most interesting bits, the apprentices dressed the car?s interior with a pair of handmade seats draped in smooth leather and suede that offer massage...