Volkswagen is readying a new generation of its Golf GTI Clubsport performance model, and the covers will come off on May 31.
The debut will take place on the sidelines of the 2024 24 Hours of Nürburgring that kicks off the next day and where a modified version built for racing, known as the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h, will compete.
The last Golf GTI Clubsport was launched for 2021 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first GTI's arrival in 1976. The latest version celebrates this year's 50th anniversary of the Golf nameplate, and is based on the updated 2025 Golf GTI expected to reach showrooms later this year.
Don't expect the Clubsport version to reach these shores as the last one was never reached the U.S. However, for local buyers wanting more performance than what the updated Golf GTI delivers, VW has the updated Golf R debuting in the summer. Like the updated GTI, it should reach the U.S. for 2025.
2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI
The Clubsport differs from the standard GTI by way of a new front fascia with a simplified design. The VW logo at the front is also illuminated for the first time, and some tweaks to the internals of the lights at both ends are also present. VW also plans to offer various 19-inch wheel designs unique to the model. The wheels are forged units weighing only 17 pounds each.
VW said the Clubsport will also have a special drive mode developed for carving up the Nürburgring. It controls things such as the suspension and steering and has been tuned specifically for handling the undulations and curves of the German racetrack, the automaker said.
VW hasn't mentioned anything about the powertrain, but the last GTI Clubsport delivered 296 hp from the GTI's 2.0-liter turbo-4, all sent to the front wheels. The updated 2025 GTI has been announced with 262 hp in other markets, and it's possible the new Clubsport version will have even more power than its predecessor.
The GTI Clubsport 24h race car features a 343-hp setting for the engine. However, this is helped by a new E20 fuel being developed by Shell with 20% ethanol content, which the race car, to be fielded by Max Kruse Racing, will use during the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
