Paris show: Volkswagen Golf GTI breaks cover

THE next Volkswagen Golf GTI hot hatch has leaked online hours ahead of its expected global reveal at the Paris motor show.

The seventh iteration of the iconic model will be the centrepiece of Volkswagen’s Paris display, alongside the rest of the new Golf range that officially broke cover earlier this month.

While the three-door vehicle in the leaked images will be officially labelled as a concept, its appears to be almost production-ready, with the road-going version expected to hit the streets largely unchanged around mid 2013.

First images of the car show the familiar design touches found on GTIs of yesteryear, including red brake callipers and red striping on the honeycomb grille, plus large black and silver alloy wheels – now five-spoke items rather than the rounded numbers found on the current model.

Twin chrome-tipped tailpipes and a black diffuser complete the look at the rear.

As expected, under the hood sits the new Audi A3’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, likely producing 160kW and 350Nm – up 5kW and 65Nm on the current model.

This is expected to slash three tenths from the car’s 0-100km/h dash, bringing it down to 6.6 seconds.

This engine is likely to paired to either a six-speed manual gearbox or the latest six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic.

Numerous European reports suggest VW will offer a new performance package, which adds an extra 8kW of power plus a torque vectoring system to iron out understeer.

Shots of the interior show that Volkswagen will stick with the GTI’s signature ‘jacky’ black, white and red tartan seat trim, chronograph dials and red-stitched steering wheel.