Volkswagen Polo GTI bows out 2026 as electric ID. Polo GTI
Polo GTI ends in 2026 as Volkswagen readies electric ID. Polo GTI
Volkswagen Polo GTI bows out 2026 as electric ID. Polo GTI
Volkswagen retires the Polo GTI in 2026 as the electric ID. Polo GTI arrives mid‑2026 with ~220 hp. Final petrol cars leave Kariega in week 12; orders closing.
2025-11-19T12:06:58+03:00
2025-11-19T12:06:58+03:00
2025-11-19T12:06:58+03:00
Volkswagen has confirmed that the Polo GTI, one of Europe’s most attainable and popular hot hatchbacks, will bow out in 2026. After more than a quarter of a century on sale, the model is already fading from European configurators—orders in Belgium and the Netherlands are closed, and the remaining allocations have been snapped up.The reason is straightforward: the electric ID. Polo GTI is lining up for production, with a launch penciled in for mid-2026. To avoid the petrol and electric Polos competing head-to-head, the brand is bringing forward the farewell of the combustion version. The new ID. Polo GTI will use a front-mounted electric motor with roughly 220 hp, and a hotter R variant is set to follow later.The current Polo GTI isn’t built in Spain but at the Kariega plant in South Africa. That’s where the final cars will roll off the line—during week 12 of 2026, between March 16 and 22. In Spain the model can still be ordered, but only while the remaining stock lasts.The Polo GTI first arrived in 1998 and has run through six generations, topping out at 207 hp and 240 km/h in the 2021 version. The electric successor promises brisk acceleration; whether it keeps the classic hot-hatch feel is the question many enthusiasts will be asking. The move looks logical, yet the outgoing car’s involving character sets a high bar for whatever comes next.
Volkswagen Polo GTI, ID. Polo GTI, electric hot hatch, 2026, production ends, Kariega plant, 220 hp, R variant, orders closed, South Africa, mid-2026 launch, hot hatchback
2025
Michael Powers
news
Polo GTI ends in 2026 as Volkswagen readies electric ID. Polo GTI
Volkswagen retires the Polo GTI in 2026 as the electric ID. Polo GTI arrives mid‑2026 with ~220 hp. Final petrol cars leave Kariega in week 12; orders closing.
Michael Powers, Editor
Volkswagen has confirmed that the Polo GTI, one of Europe’s most attainable and popular hot hatchbacks, will bow out in 2026. After more than a quarter of a century on sale, the model is already fading from European configurators—orders in Belgium and the Netherlands are closed, and the remaining allocations have been snapped up.
The reason is straightforward: the electric ID. Polo GTI is lining up for production, with a launch penciled in for mid-2026. To avoid the petrol and electric Polos competing head-to-head, the brand is bringing forward the farewell of the combustion version. The new ID. Polo GTI will use a front-mounted electric motor with roughly 220 hp, and a hotter R variant is set to follow later.
The current Polo GTI isn’t built in Spain but at the Kariega plant in South Africa. That’s where the final cars will roll off the line—during week 12 of 2026, between March 16 and 22. In Spain the model can still be ordered, but only while the remaining stock lasts.
The Polo GTI first arrived in 1998 and has run through six generations, topping out at 207 hp and 240 km/h in the 2021 version. The electric successor promises brisk acceleration; whether it keeps the classic hot-hatch feel is the question many enthusiasts will be asking. The move looks logical, yet the outgoing car’s involving character sets a high bar for whatever comes next.
