Golf GTI and Golf GTI Clubsport

Not yet on the market and already a record holder: on 20 June 2025, Volkswagen will present the world premiere of the new Golf GTI EDITION 50 at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The most powerful production GTI to date is the exclusive anniversary model for the 50th anniversary of the compact sports car icon. The birthday celebration will take place in 2026 – in parallel with the market entry of the new model. But the Golf GTI EDITION 50 has already written itself into the history books of the Nürburgring and the Volkswagen brand: racing driver Benny Leuchter (D) completed a lap of the Nordschleife with a near-production test vehicle of the Golf GTI EDITION 50 in just 07:46:13 minutes. A new record – never before has a Volkswagen with road approval been faster on the Nürburgring.

A special GTI weekend is coming up soon: at the ADAC 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on Friday 20 June, Volkswagen will present the world premiere of the most powerful production Golf GTI ever built to date. Performance, appearance, equipment? Still secret. But it can already be revealed that the vehicle is a top-class anniversary model to mark the 50th birthday of the GTI next year, which Volkswagen is celebrating with this special car. This is just the start of what will be a weekend of racing tailor-made for Volkswagen fans: only one day later, two enhanced Golf GTI Clubsport 24h cars will take on the great challenge and compete in the 24-hour race on the circuit nicknamed ‘Green Hell’ in front of an expected 200,000 spectators.

The ADAC 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the largest motorsport event in Germany (19-22 June 2025), is once again all about the fans. More than 230,000 car and motorsport enthusiasts are expected at the legendary Nordschleife. Volkswagen is once again offering numerous highlights this year: among other things, the world premiere of a GTI special model is on the agenda. Other highlights include the performance models from Volkswagen R – which will be presented off the track at the race weekend – as well as, of course, the legendary 24-hour race itself. After the class victory last year, the Max Kruse Racing customer team will compete in the race with two fast Golf GTI “Clubsport 24h” cars.

GTI – the next chapter. It has the world’s largest fan base of all compact sports cars and is regarded as the original in its class: the Golf GTI is the ultimate icon, with well over 2.3 million units sold. A new evolutionary stage of this vehicle is now being launched. The output of the Golf GTI has increased from 180 kW (245 PS) to 195 kW (265 PS). Pre-sales will get underway in Europe on 14 May. The next GTI highlight will follow just a few days later with the world premiere of the new Golf GTI Clubsport at the Nürburgring – as part of the legendary 24-hour race. This represents the start of a true GTI weekend: on 1 June, Volkswagen will unveil the 221 kW (300 PS) Golf GTI Clubsport in front of thousands of visitors, who will then be able to take a closer look at the top-of-the-range GTI model on the ‘Nürburgring Boulevard’. The world premiere is taking place to coincide with the celebration of the Golf’s 50th birthday (launched in 1974). To help mark the occasion, three classic Golf vehicles will be taking part in the ADAC 24h Classic (3-hour race) on 2 June just before the main race. And that’s not all. A truly unique Golf will then take part in the 24-hour race: the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h, which boasts an output of 256 kW (348 PS). This race car was originally designed by Volkswagen Motorsport and has now been taken to the next level. As a tribute to half a century of Golf, the race organisers have given it the start number 50. Volkswagen says thank you!

Volkswagen is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Golf. Series production of the bestseller started in Wolfsburg in March 1974. More than 37 million units have followed that first Golf to date. Purely in mathematical terms, this means that over 2,000 people around the world have opted to buy a new Golf every single day over the last 50 years. This makes the compact icon the most successful European car and the best-selling Volkswagen model of all time. Volkswagen is now presenting the latest stage in the Golf’s evolution with a world premiere, featuring a new infotainment system that has been developed from scratch and a next-generation plug-in hybrid drive. The best Golf of the last 50 years will arrive in dealerships this spring.