Golf 8 GTI Confirmed by VW USA, Sedans Expected to Stabilize

Volkswagen’s Scott Keogh had a sit-down interview with Automobile Magazine and talked about the GTI, among other things. The man behind Audi's push is now not only the head of the VW brand but also the group, in charge or brands like Bentley or Bugatti.

So for him to talk about the GTI's future and describe it as "cool as hell" means something. They're working on a new generation of Golf, which will be unveiled in Europe at the end of the year. However, that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the American market, which gets cars late or not at all.

The current Mk5 GTI, for example, has 245 PS in Europe right now, but only 230 PS (228-hp) in America. One has a 7-speed DSG, the other a 6-speed, while the manual handbrake is only fitted in America.

"We will be launching the Golf VIII, which will be the next-gen and it will have a GTI, so we’re 100 percent on board [with that model]. But right now the GTI is going to stay GTI. And the [eighth-gen version of that] will come, and it’s going to be as cool as hell," Keogh said.

We think that means they will launch the Golf 8 but keep the Golf 7 GTI until the new one is ready, a bit like Subaru does in the WRX STI department. According to our info, the next-gen European hot hatch will feature from 245 to 290 PS, coming quite close to the Civic Type R. However, the same may not be true here.

On a different note, the CEO had a lot to say about EVs and sedans as well. Volkswagen is undersized as a brand in America right now, and the official hopes mainstream EVs and creative designs like the ID Buzz could change that.

After witnessing several years of declining sales, sedans have hit a bottom. There will still be people who want to buy sedans, but the Arteon is not for them. Could this mean the Passat still has a future?