VW reworking Golf GTI lineup after axing Scirocco

Volkswagen is working out a way to keep performance enthusiasts happy by offering the best possible range of Golf GTI and Golf R models.

The brand is set to introduce a significant update for the Golf in July, one that will include the addition of a reworked GTI powered by the same 169kW motor used in the discontinued Golf GTI Performance. While that car won't feature the clever locking differential that made the GTI Performance (and GTI 40 Years) a significantly better proposition than the regular car, Volkswagen says it is working on a fresh version of that model that should push the GTI badge to new heights.

That car may also be offered with a three-door bodyshell for the first time since the seventh-generation Golf arrived in 2013. While it has offered a three-door GTI in the past, Volkswagen culled that model from its lineup to protect sales of the now-defunct Scirocco coupe.

Volkswagen's Golf Wagon represents another body style likely to make a return in high-performance form. Customers snapped up a limited run of "Wolfsburg Edition" Golf R wagons in 2015, prompting the brand to put together a business case for the return of a practical five-door performance car.

While it won't arrive when the updated Golf GTI and Golf R go on sale in late July, a Volkswagen spokesman says the wagon is on the brand's to-do list.  

"We know that Aussies love their performance cars - the performance range for us is very important," he says.

"There's a good chance of us bringing out the wagon, simply because it was popular." 

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