Volkswagen is reportedly going to gradually stop offering gas-burning R performance models after 2030 and apparently already has multiple electric R-badged models in development. R will become a fully-electric performance brand in the next decade, although we will still see hybrid R models in the lineup for the next few years, like the 462 horsepower Touareg plug-in hybrid.
According to a recent Volkswagen press release, the automaker is “gradually converting its portfolio, with several electric R models in the planning stages.” The manufacturer notes that it is “currently assessing various concepts and possibilities but will only offer R models that meet our requirements. One thing is certain: the future of R is electric.”
There have been reports of hot versions of current VW EVs, like the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, but so far only GTX-badged versions of the latter two have been launched. GTX is the electric equivalent of GTI, so it doesn’t designate VW’s top performance offerings, leaving room for more extreme R-badged ID EVs.
The automaker currently has four R-badged models in its lineup, and only one of them (the aforementioned Touareg PHEV) is a plug-in. Reinhold Ivenz, the boss of VW R, notes that
In order to become a fully electric brand by the end of the decade, we are already taking the necessary steps today for the forthcoming transformation. The globally successful products from Volkswagen R are part of this exciting change process and will stand in the future for sustainable electric mobility.
We currently don’t know which Volkswagen EV is going to become an R first, but given buyers’ preference for high-riding vehicle, it would not surprise us at all if Volkswagen chose the ID.4 and ID.5 duo. However, in-keeping with the most famous R model, which is based on the Golf, VW is also bound to make a hot R version of it, and it will certainly arrive by the end of the decade.
