A new R-line is currently being developed and will be available Late 2009.

The hi-po R32 has been dropped from the Golf line-up, but another hot car or two is on the way to take its place.

A new R-line is being developed — for arrival at the end of 2009 — on an all-wheel-drive platform, but it will have a turbocharged four-cylinder engine rather than the six carried by the R32.

And an anniversary model is also on the drawing board for the GTI’s 35th birthday in 2011.

“The official program is two cars, with about 30-40hp (22-30Kw) more,” says Volkswagen’s head of engineering for Golf and GTI, Rolf Trump.

“It has to be logical to customers.

“There may be one at 230-240hp (172-179Kw), then one at 270-280hp (201-209kW).”

Trump says the six-cylinder R32 was had to be dropped because it had too big a thirst and not enough punch.

“We believe the R32 was a concept that was out of touch with its time. It has very high fuel consumption and the outputs were not adequate,” he says.

“An intelligent four-cylinder engine now can deliver adequate performance with much better economy.

“There will still be a performance model – the R-line – but that will now be a four-cylinder and this is the first time we will see the R-line with 4Motion (Volkswagen’s all-wheel drive system).”

“Fuel economy is definitely the priority now.

“It is a fact of life today because of the environmental and emissions controls – it is not feasible to use a six-cylinder for this, and the four-cylinder is on an equal par.”

Trump is optimistic that the move to a four-cylinder will not dilute the R plate as the GTI was between Mk2 and Mk4.

“Yes, it might turn out to be the wrong decision, but I don’t think so that history will repeat itself.”