Exciting concepts such as the W12 Nardo and this Ducati V2-powered XL Sport sadly never made it to production, but Volkswagen isn't abandoning sports cars just yet. It's too late for a production model from Wolfsburg with a combustion engine, so look for a vehicle that would appeal to enthusiasts to go purely electric. We're not talking about GTX-badged models but rather a legitimate performance vehicle.
Tucked away in an otherwise bland press release about fully bringing the development of electric drivetrains in-house is news about the possibility of a seriously powerful drivetrain for a sports car application. Aside from developing its own battery cells and electric motors, VW has now taken over the development of pulse inverters and thermal management systems. That opens the possibility to create a modular toolkit that can be adapted to regular EVs and sports cars.
2014 Volkswagen XL Sport concept
To that end, VW is already working on this promising tech and says it will have it ready for the next generation of electric vehicles that will be underpinned by an evolution of today's MEB platform. The German brand says a potential zero-emission sports car with more than 500 kilowatts will be possible. That works out to 680 horsepower, which is right up there with the likes of the Porsche Taycan Turbo.
Internally known as the MEB Evo, the revised platform will help VW bring down costs related to development by as much as 20 percent. We need to be realistic here as the company has bigger fish to fry. Consequently, expect more volume-oriented SUVs, sedans, and hatchbacks to hit the market before a sports car is added to the portfolio. Meanwhile, the upcoming ID. Buzz GTX and ID.3 GTX will have to suffice, along with the already available ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX.
Looking at the VW Group as a whole, the first dedicated electric sports car will arrive in 2025 when Porsche will introduce the 718 Boxster/Cayman replacement.
