Volkswagen ID.X Performance previews hot VW ID.7 GTX

There remains much debate as to what’ll happen to VW’s ‘GTI’ and ‘GTX’ sporty sub-brands as the German giant transitions to electric power, but an all-new concept car has just been revealed, reaffirming Volkswagen’s pledge to continue building poised, yet practical performance cars.

The Volkswagen ID.X Performance acts as a preview to the forthcoming Volkswagen ID.7 GTX and features a plethora of styling and technical upgrades over the standard car, which is due to go on sale this autumn.

Undoubtedly the headliner of the ID.X Performance is its dual-motor powertrain which is said to get 558bhp; if the production ID.7 GTX produces anything close to this figure, it’d earn the esteemed title of the most powerful Volkswagen ever. All this muscle is juggled between the front and rear wheels via a ‘Vehicle Dynamics Manager’, with the rear benefitting from a locking differential for sharper handling.

In order to keep the sheer amount of power in check, the ID.X boasts a beefier set of brakes, lowered, stiffened suspension, and a much racier bodykit than the standard ID.7 on which it’s based. The most notable visual addition is a huge carbon fibre spoiler mounted on the bootlid that Volkswagen insists provides “necessary downforce”. This sits above a highly-aggressive carbon rear diffuser, which is mirrored at the front by an angry-looking front bumper with huge openings for cooling the presumably highly-strung electric powertrain.

On the inside, the Volkswagen ID.X Performance continues the carbon fibre theme with figure-hugging bucket seats. The flashes of red on the exterior are carried inside too, with a crimson-trimmed steering wheel and matching red piping on the dashboard.

We expect the production version of the ID.X Performance concept – the Volkswagen ID.7 GTX – to be revealed in the coming year. While it certainly won’t be quite as extreme as the show car, the ID.7 GTX is expected to be one of the fastest electric cars out there. It’ll join a growing lineup of hot Volkswagen EVs which currently includes the ID.4 and ID.5 GTX SUVs, as well as the forthcoming Volkswagen ID.3 GTX hot hatchback. Prices for the top-spec ID.7 are expected to start from around £60,000.