Volkswagen late January unveiled an electric Golf R concept to act as ambassador for the brand’s future racing efforts, which will be entirely battery-powered.
The vehicle is set to debut in Austria at this weekend’s GP Ice Race, where VW will put on a show featuring old and new race cars. “The Ice Race in Zell am See thrilled many fans with its first revival last year,” said Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport director.
“I think we have found an exciting mix of current and vintage cars. Furthermore, with the fully electric cars, we are able to offer a view of the future.”
Along with the Golf concept and ID.R, VW’s GP Ice Race fleet will also feature the famous 1302 S ‘Salzburg’ Beetle; and a rallycross Beetle R.
For now, the electric Golf R is just a concept, but it’s possible the technology used in it could underpin a new vehicle to be used in Rallycross or Electric Touring Car Racing. It won’t make a debut in the road-going world, though, as VW is putting all its EV-driven efforts in the Golf-sized segment into its ID.3.
VW’s other race car, the ID.R, has already claimed a few records, including at tracks like Pikes Peak, the Nürburgring and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
