Published: Oct 07, 2012

Volkswagen Stepping Up! with New GT

New VW Up GT could emerge as a spiritual successor of the original Golf GTI.

Volkswagen makes plenty of driver-oriented performance cars. The Up! is not one we'd count among them, but that could be about to change. When the German automaker unveiled the new city car in Frankfurt one year ago, it also brought out six concept versions that showcased where VW could take the platform. One of those was the GT Up, a vehicle which Volkswagen has now reportedly confirmed for production. Why should we care, you ask? There are reasons you should and reasons you shouldn't.

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For starters, Car and Driver reports that, at less than 2,000 lbs and with just 110 horsepower, the new Up GT will have the same power to weight ratio as the 1983 VW Golf GTI - a vehicle which still stands as an icon among hot hatches. So C/D figures the new Up GT will, not unlike the BMW 1M Coupe traced its roots to the original M3, be something of a rehatched version of the original GTI. Unfortunately, like the rest of the Up range, the GT model stands a slim chance of making it over to the North American market. So this will likely remain, like the Polo GTI and so many others, another hot (or at least warm) hatch we'll have to admire from abroad.