Volkswagen R to go ‘extreme’ with new range

Volkswagen will launch a range of ‘extreme’ new performance models under its R brand. And that will include versions within its future lineup of I.D electric cars, company bosses have revealed to Auto Express. 

”The R brand is going extreme and can go extreme,” Stackmann told Auto Express at the Beijing Motor Show. “The role of R is that it can go beyond the pure rational; nobody needs a compact car with 400bhp, but there is a place, certainly, and that’s the turf of R.” 

VW R performance SUVs and EVs on the way

It’s almost certain the Mk8 Golf, due next year, will be one of the first models to benefit from the new extreme R makeover. Company bosses have also expressed an interest in growing the R portfolio beyond the Golf to include the T-Roc and Tiguan SUVs.

Stackmann added: “With a little more expressive design, R can go beyond the rational side of things. It [the R brand] can find its place in a different league of pure performance and there’s a space where customs are willing to pay a significant amount of money.”

Beyond conventional models VW also plans to expand the R brand into its future range of I.D electric cars. “The I.D R that we put into Pikes Peak shows that the R strategy needs a dimension on the electric world,” Stackmann explained. “It cannot stick to just conventional powertrain solutions - it is a new dimension to our brand.”

The Pikes Peak car develops 670bhp from an electric motor on each axle and shows “how powerful we can get with our MEB [electric platform] idea” and “where can we take the R idea when it comes to the [electric] family”, Stackmann told us.

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