Volkswagen Golf R400 will make it to production line

One of the main attractions at Volkswagen Group’s “Night of the Stars” event during the Beijing Motor Show was the Golf R400, which was built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the hatchback. The most powerful Golf ever made, the R400 features a tweaked engine and an aggressive body kit to set it apart from the ‘regular’ Golf. Now, it has been revealed by Heinz-Jakob Neusser, R&D chief, Volkswagen AG, that the Golf R400 will be put into production.

The Golf R400 is based on the high performance version of the Golf, the Golf R. The car gets a 2.0-litre, turbocharged EA888 engine which has been retuned to churn out 395bhp (i.e. 400PS, which gives it the moniker) and 450Nm of torque. Volkswagen says that they haven’t made any structural changes to the engine to pump out the extra 99bhp and 70Nm of torque. This kind of power figures enable the Golf R400 to hit 100kmph from a standstill in just 2.9 seconds, going on to an electronically limited top speed of 280kmph. The engine is mated to a six-speed DSG gearbox, with the power going to all four-wheels through a 4MOTION four-wheel-drive system. 

Cosmetic changes to the Golf R400 include flared wheel arches which house the massive 19-inch wheels and a front carbon fibre splitter. The rear gets centrally-positioned exhausts and a carbon fibre diffuser. Inside, the car gets racing seats covered with ‘carbon leather’, luxurious Alcantara upholstery, Lemon Yellow thread stitching and carbon fiber trim all around. 

The amount of money spent on the engine for its ‘mild revisions’ do not make it feasible to restrict it to just one car with reports indicating that the engine might also end up in a few high performance Audi models. Though the car will make it to the production line, we think that the car will be dished out as a limited edition. Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed whether the car will be offered in the US markets though. The Golf R400 will go up against other hot hatches like Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, Audi RS3 and the BMW 2 Series.