Volkswagen brings brand design into focus – presents ID. GTI concept

Volkswagen will focus more strongly on design to differentiate the brands within the Group. Two striking concept cars on show at the IAA Mobility in Munich underline the new outline, including the ID.2 in GTI look.

Group CEO Oliver Blume, who has been in this position for precisely one year, has developed the new design strategy. It is part of Volkswagen’s realignment and sets “guard rails” for future designs. Accordingly, the “refined design principles” focus on higher design quality and more substantial brand differentiation.

“Good design is an essential factor in delighting our customers,” says Blume. “With sharpened design identities, we design striking products and increase the differentiation of the brands. In their exterior, interior and digital experience. Volkswagen Group is becoming a design-driven company.”

This has resulted in organisational changes at both brand and group levels: each head of design at each brand will move “even closer” to the respective CEO. The direct exchange is supposed to promote a “holistic implementation of the design principles for a coherent brand experience – from corporate identity to products to digital offerings of each brand,” writes Volkswagen.

Taking the new design focus to heart, Volkswagen brought two concepts to Group Night at the Eisbach film studios in Munich—the ID. GTI Concept “exemplifies the Group’s commitment to electrification”. “The Volkswagen brand has a rich heritage. Stability, likeability, and excitement are what makes Volkswagen a love brand—and it’s also the DNA of our performance models,” says Andreas Mindt, Chief Designer at Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

The show car takes up the basic design of the ID.2all study, which will be called ID.2 once it reaches series production. Since there will also be “sporty and emotional” GTI versions of select models in the electric ID range, it will likely be the ID.2 GTI. Incidentally, in the electric age, the “I” is supposed to stand for “Intelligence” – in the “classic” GTI, it was still “Injection” for the injection technology of the combustion engine. VW has not yet disclosed any technical data, but unlike the current GTX models, it will remain front-wheel drive. Due to the modified bumpers, the ID. GTI Concept is slightly longer than the ID.2all at 4.10 metres. The production version of the vehicle, based on the modular e-drive system (MEB), is scheduled to hit the roads by 2027 at the latest.

Meanwhile, Cupra shows its DarkRebel concept, an all-electric, two-seater shooting-brake sports car. It was designed to push boundaries and question how cars will be made for future generations, says the Seat brand. Suppose the striking lines and proportions of the DarkRebel are used as a basis for the more differentiated Cupra design. In that case, the future production models will likely appear more aggressive than before. The Cupra DarkRebel is “the maximum expression” of the brand, “embodying its philosophy of challenging the status quo and creating unique, highly emotional vehicles,” concludes Cupra.

The Volkswagen Group aims to cover all customer segments with its ten “design-driven” brands.

volkswagen-newsroom.com, volkswagen-newsroom.com (ID. GTI Concept), seat-mediacenter.com (Cupra DarkRebel)