For nearly 50 years, the GTI has been the defining hot hatch. Soon, like so much else, it will go all-electric, and the new Volkswagen ID. GTI concept shows us what it will look like. VW debuted the ID. GTI at the IAA auto show in Munich on Sunday and says it's a preview of a future production model.

This concept is based on the ID. 2all Concept that debuted this past spring. The ID.2 is set to be smaller and cheaper than the in-production ID.3. If the ID.3 is like an electric Golf, think of the ID.2 as an electric Polo. That said, the ID. GTI heavily references all past eight generations of Golf GTI. The concept even has different drive modes that ape previous GTIs, including the Mark 1 original, the Mark 2 16-Valve, and the Mark 4 25th anniversary edition. Selecting one of these modes will change the "drive system, running gear, steering, sound, and even the simulated shift points" to transport drivers back in time.

The ID. GTI Concept is smaller than the current Golf GTI with a length of 161.6 inches vs. 168.8 inches for the gas-powered hot hatch. The 102.4-inch wheelbase is only slightly shorter than the 103.6 inches of the Golf GTI's, though.

Unlike the ID.3 and all of VW's larger EV models, which are rear- or all-wheel drive, the ID.2 and GTI will be front-wheel drive. VW hasn't revealed any other specs besides dimensions, however, so we don't know what sort of battery or power output this future GTI will have.

Hopefully we'll see this in the U.S. Volkswagen hasn't brought the ID.3 here, instead focusing on the ID.4 crossover. Still, while VW no longer sells a regular Golf in the U.S., the GTI remains a key part of its lineup, and it's hard to imagine the automaker not bringing a hot hatch here, electric or otherwise.

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