2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI ChatGPT with AI in a hot hatch

Volkswagen's iconic Golf hatchback will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024, and to mark the occasion, Volkswagen has announced a major update to the current eighth-generation model, which was unveiled in March.

The updates will cover all Golf models, but again in the U.S., only the sporty Golf GTI and Golf R will be available. These will be available in dealerships in early 2025. In other markets, sales began this spring.

The 2025 Golf R will be revealed in the summer, but VW included the 2025 Golf GTI when it revealed updates to its Golf range in March. Like the other models, the GTI features styling changes, more standard equipment, a new infotainment system, and improved electronic driver assistance technology.

Exterior changes are limited to changes to the facia design at both ends. The wide mouth of the current GTI is retained, but the design at the top of the mouth is flatter and has a new mesh pattern. At the rear, the diffuser has been redesigned, as have the chrome-accented exhaust tips. The headlights have also been modified and now feature matrix LED technology. In some markets, the front VW badge also lights up.

On the interior, the infotainment screen is much larger and the dashboard has been modified. The Golf currently has an 8.3-inch infotainment screen, but a 10.4-inch screen is now standard on this model, with a 12.9-inch screen also available The 10.2-inch screen functions as a digital meter cluster, and a heads-up display is also available A 10.2-inch screen functions as a digital meter cluster, and a head-up display is also available. The current model's air conditioning and volume control touch sliders have also been redesigned and VW says they are easier to use. It is also illuminated.

According to VW, the infotainment system is also easier to use. For example, the infotainment screen has a configurable home page and a configurable bar at the top. Drivers can assign functions to be displayed in these areas. The lower bar has access to key functions, especially air conditioning settings and seat heating and cooling, as well as a button to return to the home page. The advantage of this is that the upper and lower bars remain visible at all times, providing drivers with quick access to key functions, regardless of the menu page currently displayed in the main area of the screen.

VW has also improved the voice assistant, integrating the popular ChatGPT AI system. This means that the voice assistant can now provide more specific information, including answers to general knowledge questions, as well as handle vehicle functions such as climate control, media, and navigation. Other updates include a surround view camera system and remote parking capabilities.

The 2025 GTI's powertrain is the same as the current model, a 2.0-liter turbo four, with 15 hp more peak power for Europe, for a total of 262 hp. The current GTI is rated at 241 hp in the U.S., and VW has not revealed how much power the revised model will offer when it arrives in the U.S.

Drive is provided by a standard 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which is transmitted to the front wheels. No manual transmission is offered.Last August, VW introduced a special edition "2024 Golf GTI 380" to commemorate the end of production of the Golf GTI.

There is also no electric car or electric powertrain option. Buyers seeking an electric Golf will have to wait until the hatchback's next makeover, as VW revealed last September that the next Golf will be an electric car based on Volkswagen Group's upcoming SSP modular platform. This means that the Golf GTI and Golf R will also likely be EVs in the next model change, so fans had better start getting ready to say goodbye to the idea of gas engines in these cars; the SSP platform will not be completed until around 2028, so there is still time.