A teaser image suggesting a high-performance Volkswagen Golf is due to be revealed soon, but what could it be?

The current Volkswagen Golf family has something for everyone. The standard Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI offers a great blend of performance, luxury, and tech, while the all-wheel-drive Golf 8 R will be touching down in SA in 2022.

For the European market, there’s a Clubsport model that’s based on the standard GTI, but with more performance. This teaser raises a few questions, however.

From what we can see, the wing looks very close to the one found on the Volkswagen Clubsport and the shape is not too radically different.

The current Clubsport 45, which is offered in Europe.

We know Volkswagen is capable of making quick and specialised performance weapons, as witnessed with the introduction of the VW Golf Clubsport S, which made its way to SA in very limited numbers. Could this be the all-new Clubsport S, complete with trick tyres and a stripped-out cabin, ready for the Nurburgring?

As UK publication Evo pointed out, 2022 does mark 20 years since the debut of the original Mk4 R32. That car featured a thundering 6-cylinder petrol engine and SA Veedub fans will rejoice if there’s an R32/VR6 successor.

Another possibility is this platform will gain the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. We used to think this powertrain was exclusive to Audi, but seeing as its available for the SEAT Cupra Formentor sports SUV, we can’t rule it out. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, but the idea of around 290 kW in a hot Golf sounds like a recipe for a lot of fun.

We’ll find out exactly what exactly this high-performance Golf is in a few weeks.

Further Reading

Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI: A Real-world experience

Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI Launch Review