You've heard of the GTI Meeting dedicated to fans of the sporty compact model. It's a tradition that goes back to the early 1980s for an annual event held in Wörthersee, before relocating to Wolfsburg in 2024. Volkswagen is attempting to create a similar tradition for the fully electric ID.3 GTX with the ID. Meeting in Locarno, Switzerland. For this year, it built a one-off car that fuses the two types of hot hatchbacks.
This ID.3 GTX Fire+Ice is a tribute to the second-generation Golf Fire and Ice of which 16,700 units were made. Due to popular demand, VW had to extend production compared to the original 10,000-unit run. The 1990s special edition was sold in different flavors, one of which was based on the GTI. Much like the original, the EV is a joint effort between the automaker and Bogner, a Munich-based fashion brand.
Although the triple-layer paint finish with special glass beads represents the main highlight here, something else caught our attention. Step inside and it looks like the front seats have built-in jackets. Pull down the zippers to reveal a different upholstery, harkening back to the fabric used by the Golf Fire and Ice decades ago. The seats are by far the coolest thing about the interior since the rest is standard ID.3 affair: a big tablet sticking out from the dashboard and minimal traditional switchgear.
VW did try to spice things up by putting fire and ice logos on the accelerator and brake pedals, respectively. On the regular ID.3, there are play and pause icons. The fire and ice theme is accentuated by a combination of red and blue accents as well as a laser-engraved "Fire + Ice" pattern throughout the cabin. This ID.3 GTX will remain a unique car as there are no intentions for a limited-run special edition.
The not-for-America ID.3 might not live to see a second generation since VW is already dropping hints the electric-only Golf Mk9 will take its place in the lineup. Ironically, the ID.3 replaced the e-Golf a few years ago.
Earlier this year, the company's Technical Development boss Kai Grünitz said: "There is not enough space to have two or three different models fitting to the same customer. We've started to work on a fully electric Golf. We have concrete ideas of how it will look like, but we will see how the market develops."
While the next-gen Golf is expected to arrive closer to the end of the decade, the current gas model might stick around until 2035. If that happens, VW will sell two different generations of the Golf for several years.
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