Volkswagen R Will Look Very Different—and Electric—in a Few Years

As we reported last month, VW intends to fully electrify its performance R subbrand by 2030.There are some changes in the works to make that possible, which we explore with VW executives—among them, the need for a new EV platform and software updates.Once the kinks are worked out, though, VW is looking to sell an EV in the under-$25,000 range and potentially to add a couple of halo cars that could be in the R subbrand.

VW’s go-fast R division would love to surprise and delight us with four new electric high-performance models. But top management may have different ideas about the brand’s future halo cars—like a reimagined Golf or a new battery-powered Beetle.

“One thing is certain: the future of VW R is electric,” says Reinhold Ivenz, previously with Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport, now head of the VW R division. “In my view, R must stand for fully integrated sustainable high-performance products: emotional, digital, balanced, and brand-centric.”

Sounds like a plan, but over the past 20 years R was above all synonymous with eye-catching R-line trim packs and high-performance versions of mainstream models. Run by Jost Capito, who is now with Williams F1, the R power brokers had plenty of promising ideas that went exactly nowhere. The proposed roadgoing version of the record-breaking 680-hp 2018 ID.R electric racer was mothballed at the 11th hour. An affordable bespoke mid-engine roadster known as the VW Mimo was gunned down by Audi and Porsche in unison. The limited-edition ID.R Buggy built by Karmann turned out to be another paper tiger. Fact is, the R division never had the funds, the clout, and the support to become Wolfsburg’s answer to Audi Sport, BMW M, and Mercedes-AMG.

Which is a shame, because the Golf R ranks among the brand’s all-time greats. But where to from here? The R versions of the Touareg, T-Roc, and Tiguan currently sold in Europe will be discontinued with the arrival of the next-generation models, and the ID.R proposals mentioned by Reinhold Ivenz are at this point nothing but a pipe dream:

the 2025 Trinity R, VW’s new radically re-engineered zero-emission flagshipthe 2026 ID.R CUV, an electrified Touareg/Teramont/Atlas Cross Sport replacementthe 2027 ID.R SUV, a zero-emission full-size five- and seven-seater global SUV

All of the above are based on the new SSP (scalable systems platform) architecture, which requires the latest E3 2.0 software. That’s still under development at the VW Cariad think tank. E3 2.0 permits extended functionalities like Level 3 autonomous driving, 250-kW-plus fast-charging, and much improved connectivity. Rumored R versions of ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and the upcoming Passat-size ID.Aero are a mirage because the first-generation MEB platform does not meet the ambitious performance and range requirements.

New CEO Thomas Schäfer knows full well that VW must deliver to bring the brand back up to speed and profitability. “First of all, we are going to fix the overly complicated ergonomics, deal with certain quality issues, and address the somewhat nondescript design language. In a parallel move, we will introduce the 2023 Passat, Tiguan, and ID.Aero to add luster to the portfolio. After that, I am determined to launch an electric Volkswagen in the sub-25,000-euro segment, which will be available in two body styles.

“We Must Decide What to Do with GTI and R”

“Last but not least, our products must become more desirable by offering a more emotional user experience. That’s where the R division might come in, but R alone won’t cut it. In addition to the ID.Buzz, VW needs at least one more halo car, perhaps even two. We must decide what to do with GTI and R, whether to create a new subbrand along the lines of Hyundai N, and how to reinvent iconic models like Golf. I believe that names tell a better story than letters and numbers, but irrespective of marketing considerations substance is absolutely essential because we need healthy volumes to fund whatever that icing on the cake may be.”

When we suggested the idea of an electric Beetle as a sporty two-seat spider or a four-seat cabriolet, the chairman pulled out his most nondescript smile and said exactly nothing. Perhaps we should have asked him what it would take to let Porsche use VW a decontented version of the electric 718 replacement, which will be built at Karmann in Osnabrück where the coachbuilt Beetle softtop rolled off the line through 1979. Time for an enco-R-e, don’t you think?

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