Next Volkswagen Golf GTI teased, and this one's coming to America

Volkswagen still hasn't given Americans a final answer on if we'll see the standard eighth-gen Golf here, but we do know its sporting variants, the Golf GTI and Golf R, are absolutely on the way.

Good news for GTI fans, then, as VW dished out the first official image of the hot hatchback on Thursday. The German brand added the latest iteration of the car will make its formal debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, so we don't have much longer to wait.

As expected, the next GTI takes on the standard Golf's fascia, but with sporting touches. Setting itself apart, the hatch houses a traditional red stripe in the grille, which runs parallel with an illuminated portion, too. In the honeycomb lower grille, more lights find a home. It's certainly a different look for the hatch, but one that still leans on evolution over revolution.

We actually already know what engine we'll see under the hood of the latest model. Last year, VW let it slip that a 2.0-liter turbo-four will power the next GTI. It's likely the same engine found in the car today with a bushel of updates to crank out at least a little more power. Today, it makes 228 horsepower. VW also said the most powerful version of this engine will make 296 hp, but that definitely sounds like Golf R territory -- not the GTI.

Inside, the same big cabin updates to the standard Golf will be on display. A digital cockpit will be standard, as will vehicle-to-everything technology. Don't worry about the seats, though. They'll still be standard with the traditional plaid look we know and love.

With less than two weeks to go until Geneva, we'll see VW's hot hatch soon.