5 Hot hatch Volkswagens to debut at Wörthersee

The annual Wörthersee meet in Austria brings GTI enthusiasts from across Europe and the world, and Volkswagen traditionally has taken advantage of the congregation of the faithful. This year is no different, as VW will bring five vehicles to the 31st GTI Meeting on May 19. The company will have three GTI concepts to display and two Polo WRC cars. The first concept is the Golf GTI cabriolet, which premiered at the Geneva motor show. The soft-top gets the turbocharged 207-hp, 2.0-liter engine from the GTI, fitted with either a six-speed dual clutch or six-speed manual transmission. The GTI cabriolet comes with VW's XDS electronic differential and either 17-inch Denver wheels or 18-inch Detroit rolling stock. The Polo WRC Street will be presented for the first time; the car will launch in late 2013. The subcompact looks ready to race, with its rear spoiler, diffuser, sports suspension and R-WRC logos. A 2.0-liter engine produces 216 hp. VW will also have a Polo R-WRC, a road-going version of the FIA rally car. Volkswagen head of development Ulrich Hackenberg calls it the “hottest Polo ever.” The 1.6-liter engine will pump out 296 hp in a car that's not much bigger than a Fiat 500. VW says it can accelerate to 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.1 seconds. The Golf GTI White Concept is covered in a coat of matte Oryx White paint. The interior is trimmed in black and red with napa leather seats. The door sills sport the GTI logo and honeycomb pattern in white matte and aluminum. Last but not least is the Golf GTI Black Dynamic, which was created by automotive apprentices at VW. It also has a black and red interior but uses Alcantara for the seats instead of napa leather. The Black Dynamic gets an oversized exhaust and eight-piston brake calipers. The wick is turned up on the turbocharged engine considerably; it now delivers 355 hp. The car has a nine-speaker, 1,800-watt sound system installed in the trunk.