A story by Autocar says the carbon GTi Golf will have front bulkhead, windscreen surround and floor panels made from aluminium and the roof and bonnet will be carbon fibre composite.
These materials could reduce the car's weight by up to 200 kg compared with the current GTi, taking it to 1125 kg.
The Autocar report says the roof could be a sandwich of two layers of carbon composite over a thin steel core, which allows the roof to be welded onto the body on a standard production line.
Production will be limited and additional to the standard GTi, with a possible launch in 2014 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Volkswagen Golf.
Volkswagen and carbon fibre
The Volkswagen Group is made up of twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN.
- In 2011 Volkswagen purchased an 8.18% stake in the equity of carbon fibre manufacturer SGL Carbon (see Volkswagen buys shares in SGL Carbon).
- Audi is actively researching carbon fibre technologies (see Quickstep and Audi team up for automotive project and Automotive companies select their composite partners).
- Lamborghini has been using carbon fibre composite in its cars for nearly 20 years. Its latest model, the Aventador LP 700-4, is based on a carbon fibre composite monocoque that combines lightweight engineering with the highest levels of stiffness and safety.
