VW Hints the GTI Moniker May Be Around for a Bit Longer

Volkswagen has hinted at the famous GTI moniker being used for their performance electric vehicle segment. But what will happen to the previous GTX branding?

The GTI performance branding is absolutely world-famous and Volkswagen doesn't seem like they're going to let it go down into the history books without a fight. 

This new GTI logo has popped up on various automotive new websites and apparently, it's VW's all-new GTI logo for their performance EV (electric vehicle) segment. Is it going to be permanent or is it just a temporary trademark until things move further into EV territory? Who knows. 

It features the same "GT" part of the regular logo but the "I" is replaced with a lightning icon instead, signifying the move to electric. It seems a bit crude but if it's temporary then it doesn't matter too much.

What we do know is that the all-electric ID.4 SUV and ID.5 SUV-coupe models have a 'GTX' model within their range. The GTX model was essentially meant to replace the GTI branding, as the GTI logo was meant to be discontinued and left in the history books.

But with the 2020 petrol and diesel car ban looming, VW may be panicking because the GTX model so far hasn't really made a splash as expected. Perhaps with the cost of EVs people just haven't had the chance to drive a GTX.

But the GTI branding has power. Anyone in the automotive industry knows about the history of the GTI. And creating a new lineup of hatchback EVs using the GTI logo means VW have already sorted a massive part of the marketing campaign for them, capitalising on the rich history of the GTI branding. 

We already know VW is working on a hot hatch version of the ID.2all hatchback that is scheduled to be revealed in due time. Perhaps they will make an ID.3 GTI as well. It's already happening with other manufacturers such as MG bringing out the MG4 XPower, a mighty EV hot hatch.

But we also know that VW can be tricksters. With stunts like their early April Fools joke back in 2021, where they were said to call themselves 'Voltswagen' due to their forays into the EV space. It's possible this is just another joke but we'll have to wait and see.

The new GTI trademark was filed last week on the 25th of July 2023. Though the document VW filed doesn't actually state what the new logo is for. Just that they want it to be trademarked for something.

Even VW themselves want the GTI brand to live on. With VW boss Thomas Schafer saying to the website AutoExpress:

"The discussion we’re having now is to get the electric vehicles into performance and then carry the GTI name forward. GTX was an idea on the way to electrification; we came up with a different name. In future, whether we’ll need this or not, we’ll see. But GTI is so strong"