Volkswagen shocked the world last week when it announced that all R division cars would use electric powertrains by 2030. That means brilliant cars like the Golf R will eventually disappear, only to be replaced by a series of EV R models.
Volkswagen R boss Reinhold Ivenz spoke with Auto Express and revealed that the R model will not be built on the existing MEB EV platform. “We discussed several concepts at MEB and we’re not sure what can be done with batteries at this time. If we wanted a specific MEB R model, it would require its own battery, which is very expensive so we are not planning such a car at this time,” said Ivenz.
The good news is that Volkswagen is already working on a next-generation EV platform, which will support the R EV model. Next-generation electric platforms have more horsepower. “MEB is not very strong, but we are not thinking about horsepower. We are thinking in acceleration. If we want, for example, 0-62 mph in 4.0 seconds, we will discuss how much power we need to achieve this,” said Ivenz .
In the quote above, Ivenz talks about acceleration and handling like the Tesla Model Y Performance. The Model Y produces over 450 horsepower, so VW needs to aim for at least 500 horsepower. ID.3 size is closer to Golf, but according to Ivenz ID.4 is a better candidate.
“The ID.4 is a better concept because it’s all-wheel drive, so we have a good basis for making the R model. But things are changing quickly nowadays, so we’ll see. There’s a bigger volume for the ID.4 model R is more suitable for ID. 4, ID. 5 or ID. 6,” said Ivenz. Ivenz also revealed that Volkswagen will show its first R EV concept in 2024.
