Volkswagen only recently unveiled the heavily updated ID.3 Neo, but one important version was conspicuously absent. While buyers can currently choose from three sensible powertrains, there’s still no replacement for the departed ID.3 GTX. That now looks set to change.

Related: VW Spent Years Removing Knobs From Its Cars, The ID.3 Neo Puts Them Back

Our spy photographers have caught what they’re calling the first ID.3 Neo GTX prototype testing on public roads. Whether it actually reaches production wearing a GTX badge is another matter entirely.

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At first glance, the prototype doesn’t look dramatically different from the standard ID.3 Neo. But that’s partly because VW appears to be hiding its work. The lower front intake is disguised though we can still make out it has the same mouth-like shape as the new ID. Polo GTi. And the rear bumper features camouflage covering what looks like a redesigned diffuser section.

The fact that VW gave the hot electric Polo the GTI name is a strong indicator that the most performance-focused ID.3 Neo will get the same honor. Either way, the recipe is likely to remain familiar. Unlike the front-wheel-drive ID. Polo GTI, the ID.3 sits on VW’s older MEB architecture with a rear-mounted motor driving the back wheels. That would give it a layout no GTI has ever enjoyed before if it really does get that badge.

322 HP At A Minimum

The most likely outcome is a carryover of the old electric GTX hardware. That would mean up to 322 hp (326 PS) and 402 lb-ft (545 Nm) of torque, and a 5.6-second zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time. The old GTX achieved 373 miles (600 km) of WLTP range from its 79 kWh battery, but VW might squeeze a few more miles out for the refresh.

The standard ID.3 Neo currently tops out at 228 hp (231 PS) and offers up to 391 miles (630 km) of range. It also introduced sharper styling, a redesigned dashboard, improved materials, larger screens, and, perhaps most importantly, a return to physical buttons after years of complaints about touch controls. That interior overhaul should carry straight across to the hot version, but hopefully with plenty of plaid upholstery and red detailing.

Look for a European debut later this year, but as with the old GTX and new ID. Polo GTI, this updated electric hot hatch will be off-limits to Americans.

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Volkswagen hasn’t even officially launched the electric ID. Polo GTI yet, and already there’s talk of an even hotter Clubsport version lurking in development. Better still, it might come with fake gearshifts and simulated combustion-style power delivery and sounds designed to make EV hot hatch feel less, well, EV-ish.

According to Autocar, VW engineers are exploring a more extreme ID. Polo GTI Clubsport packing roughly 282 hp (286 PS / 210 kW), up substantially from the regular car’s expected 223 hp (226 PS / 166 kW) output. That would immediately put it closer to the upper end of the growing electric hot hatch class.

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While the standard ID. Polo GTI should comfortably match the 215 hp (218 hp / 160 kW) Alpine A290 GTS and its mechanically related 223 hp Cupra Raval sibling, several rivals already bring considerably more firepower. The electric Mini JCW produces 255 hp (259 PS / 190 kW), while Stellantis has gone properly aggressive with the 276 hp (280 PS / 206 kW) Peugeot e-208 GTI and Opel Corsa GSE.

The Opel, unveiled this week, sets a serious benchmark, sprinting to 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds. Current expectations suggest the regular VW GTI might need around a second longer than that, though the Clubsport should give the Opel a real fight.

Performance upgrades reportedly won’t stop at extra power. Autocar says VW’s also considering replacing the current electronically controlled BorgWarner limited-slip differential with a fully mechanical setup for sharper front axle behavior.

Hyundai N-Style Shifts

But arguably the most interesting part is the fake shifting system, something that appeared on the GTI concept back in 2023, but which VW then said would not appear on a production GTI. Of course nobody asked about a GTI Clubsport.

VW dynamics boss Florian Umbach said the company is working on “a similar kind of paddleshift power delivery that the [electric] Hyundai N cars have.” Like the Ioniq 5 N, the setup would use software-controlled power delivery to imitate a combustion engine and transmission.

“It’s all about motor control and an audio soundtrack to match,” Umbach told the magazine, suggesting fake sounds – also featured on the 2023 VW GTI concept – will also be part of the Clubsport package.

Purists will absolutely argue about whether fake shifts belong in a GTI, but the reality is many drivers miss the interaction traditional hot hatches delivered and VW clearly knows engagement matters just as much as raw acceleration numbers.

Images shown below are of the 2023 GTI concept.

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