Not quite three years ago, Volkswagen gave us our first look at what an electric GTI might look like with the appropriately named ID.GTI. It had classic hatchback proportions with just enough sporty flair without going overboard to fit the GTI name. We liked it, other people presumably liked it, and clearly VW did, too, because the production model has been revealed, and it looks nearly identical to the concept. It also is packing a bunch of extra performance goodies over the ID. Polo that it's based on, so it'll also go like a GTI.Volkswagen They're (Almost) The Same Picture We're not kidding about the production model looking just like the concept. All of the cues are there, such as the little red accents in the lower grille, the GTI badge and red accent line in the full-width headlight panel, the side skirts, and the small rear spoiler. Even the concept's snazzy wheels were adapted to production with hardly any tweaks. If anything, VW just dialed everything back from 100% concept to 99%, like the ever-so slightly smaller rear spoiler and losing the "GTI" logos in the side skirts.VolkswagenOne thing that the concept lacked was a real interior. The production model, unsurprisingly, gets the same basic setup as the ID. Polo, which itself wasn't far off either its respective concept or the GTI's concept drawings. It has two screens, one ahead of the driver for instruments, and a 10.25-inch center one for infotainment. They sit on a dashboard that gets a GTI-exclusive red accent line, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a red 12 o'clock mark.VolkswagenFurthermore, VW fitted sport seats with inserts that feature fun plaid stripes that hark back to vintage GTIs. Like in the ID. Polo, the instrument cluster has a first-generation Golf-inspired layout if the driver so chooses. We're pleased to see physical buttons and a volume knob. The wheel even gets a "GTI" button that immediately switches the car to the sportiest driving settings. VW will also offer a number of premium options such as a 425-watt, 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, massaging front seats, and a panoramic sunroof.Volkswagen Nipping At The Golf GTI's Heels That brings us to what makes the ID. Polo GTI go, and it's a gutsy electric motor. It sits up front and powers the front wheels, just like the regular ID. Polo, but it makes 223 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque. The most potent regular ID. Polo, in comparison, makes 208 hp, while the American Golf GTI makes 241 hp (and 273 lb-ft). With the ID. Polo GTI's curb weight of 3,395 pounds (212 pounds heavier than the Golf GTI) it gets to 62 mph in a claimed 6.8 seconds. It also tops out at 109 mph.On the handling front, the ID. Polo GTI naturally gets stiffer adaptive suspension with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. An electronically-controlled limited-slip differential helps with getting the power down. Buyers will be able to add those concept-inspired 19-inch wheels, too, which are wrapped in 235-mm wide tires.The ID. Polo GTI relies on the larger of the two battery packs offered in the hatch. It's a 52-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt pack that VW estimates will provide 263 miles of range on the optimistic WLTP test cycle. The maximum DC fast-charging rate is 105 kW, though VW says that a DC charging station will get the battery from 10% to 80% in 24 minutes. It Will Be Cheaper Than A Golf GTI In Germany VW is taking orders for the ID. Polo GTI this fall in Germany. It will be priced at less than €39,000, which comes to around $45,000, roughly $10,000 more than the Golf GTI in America. However, that €39,000 price point in Germany is at least €7,000 less than the Golf GTI costs in Germany (€46,250 or about $54,000). As such, it seems like a pretty great deal for buyers across the Atlantic.VolkswagenVW hasn't made any announcements about whether the ID. Polo GTI will make it to the U.S., though executives have said they want some kind of electric GTI for the U.S. If the automaker could somehow get the price to about the same or less than the Golf GTI, we think it could have a chance, though that could be a big ask, especially since we're not getting the regular ID. Polo. It's also entirely possible that VW will wait on an electric GTI for America until the next-generation Golf arrives, which is still a few years away.volkswagen-id-polo-gti-6