Wörthersee trio show VW Group’s sense of fun

ANOTHER trio of wild Volkswagen Group concept vehicles have been revealed online as the countdown to the annual Wörthersee VW enthusiasts festival in Austria nears its zenith.

Leading the charge is the Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo, as seen here in wild red sketches. Designed exclusively for the Sony Playstation racing game from which which it gets its name, the wild supercar will be shown in concept guise at the Austrian festival.

The one-off concept features a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 punching out 375kW of power and 665Nm of torque matched to a racing version of the Group’s seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission channelling power to all four wheels via VW’s 4MOTION system.

Race-car aero features such as an integrated rear diffuser, a gigantic rear wing and a distinctive front splitter lend a menacing look.

The car will be equipped with 20-inch wheels that carry 235/35 front and 275/30 rear tyres. Supercar-style vented disc brakes are fitted, with a diameter of 381mm up front and 356mm at the back.

Joining the VW at the show will be a tiny convertible concept from sister brand Skoda, based on the miniature Citigo and called the CitiJet.

Strictly a concept, the pocket-sized cabrio was penned by Skoda’s head designer Jozef Kaba and his team, but the creation of this show-special was left largely to 16 Skoda apprentices, who spent six months on the car’s creation.

The exterior features distinctive metallic paintwork in blue and white, plus racey blue 16-inch alloy wheels. It also features a hand-made rear spoiler and twin tailpipes. A 1.0 MPI petrol engine with 55 kW sits beneath the bonnet.

The sporty interior is based on the interior of the Citigo Sport special model. This includes red-stitched and leather-lined three-spoke steering wheel, a dashboard painted white and red, and a 300 watt sound system. The interior has music-reactive LED lighting as well.

Finally, VW’s niche Spanish offshoot Seat has also conjured up a one-off cabriolet “design study”, based on the Ibiza – incidentally, a nameplate that is now 30 years old – and called the Cupster.

The two-seater car has no roof, the front windscreen has been replaced with a wrap-around strip window and the seating position is 80 millimetres lower than the series-production car. Under the bonnet is the familiar 132kW 1.4-litre turbo engine and DSG.

Now, with Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat covered, don’t go thinking that luxury marque Audi has missed out on the fun.

Last week, as we reported, it revealed the mad 386kW/600Nm A3 Clubsport quattro sedan concept that could pave the way for the next-generation RS3 (see separate story linked below).

The Worthersee festival kicks off on May 28.