Volkswagen Middle East celebrates 35 years of the GTI

Volkswagen Middle East joined 200,000 diligent Volkswagen fans for the biggest Golf GTI Meet in the world. The festival which marks the 30^th Anniversary of the historic gathering took place at Lake Wörthersee, Austria, between the 1-4 June, and saw the town completely taken over and transformed by Volkswagen enthusiasts.

The event also celebrated the 35^th anniversary of the iconic sporty compact Volkswagen with a special Golf GTI Edition 35, developed for the momentous occasion – with 173 kW/ 235 PS, the most powerful GTI ever. The Meet was a celebration for Volkswagen AG with Professor Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management, Volkswagen AG, also attended the event alongside throngs of fans in Austria.

Stefan Mecha, Managing Director Volkswagen Middle East commented: “This year is a special year, not only for the Golf GTI Meet in Wörthersee, but also for Volkswagen’s automotive history. The Golf has become an iconic car throughout the Middle East. The anniversary edition GTI 35 showcases German innovation and engineering at a whole new level, and the event at Lake Wörthersee was an exciting occasion to unveil our latest model with its worldwide fans present”

The very first GTI was launched in the summer of 1976 and has since become the automotive compact leader with almost two million Golf GTI sold to date. Wörthersee became a hub for GTI enthusiasts to meet, exchange motoring tips and showcase their GTI’s, and this tradition has continued since the first official meet in 1981.

The Golf GTI Edition 35 utilises the engine of the all-wheel drive Golf R, its power adapted to the front-wheel drive. The model outputs the cited 235 PS (25 PS more than the “normal” GTI) and can move at 247 km/h; 6 kg/PS power density. The car offers nonstop road grip thanks to its XDS electronic differential lock. An optional 6-speed DSG handles gear-shifting in fractions of a second. The Volkswagen converts each and every one of its maximum of 300 Newton metres of torque into forward propulsion. After just 6.6 seconds, the GTI passes the 100 km/h mark. Sporty performance and fuel economy are no contradictions here – and that is how it has always been with the GTI. The standard fuel consumption of the exclusive Golf GTI Edition 35 is just 8.1 l/100 km; shifted by DSG, fuel consumption even improves to 8.0 l/100 km. This makes the Golf GTI Edition 35 one of the most fuel-efficient sports cars in its power class.

Visually, the Golf GTI Edition 35 can be recognised by its new bumper design in front, which can be optionally equipped with bi-xenon headlights plus cornering and LED daytime running lights. The car’s aerodynamics were improved by winglets (air flow surfaces) positioned at lower outboard areas in front, and the mid-section of the front spoiler was kept in black. On the car’s sides, it is the glossy black mirror housings, side sill extensions in body colour and the “35” edition badge on the front wings that identify the anniversary model. All Golf GTI Edition 35 cars are also equipped with smoked LED rear lights, an LED-illuminated licence plate at the rear and smoked rear windows.

“The Golf GTI is one of the most popular Volkswagen model’s in the Middle East, and has cultivated a following of enthusiast’s throughout the region with a number of Golf GTI clubs actively meeting for GTI drives. The Golf GTI is a true classic and we at Volkswagen Middle East aim to continue to exceed our customer’s expectation with this model,” concluded Mecha.

The 2011 Meet also marked the world debut of two Volkswagen Concept cars the Golf GTI Cabriolet, the first officially built open-top version of the iconic car, and the Golf R Cabriolet with 270 PS of power and a top speed of 250km/h, which were both unveiled to rapturous Volkswagen fans at Lake Wörthersee.