Volkswagen Golf Gti

Germany's original hot hatch gets a mid-cycle update.

Wörthersee — the premier Volkswagen GTI meetup in the world — starts in just a few days in a small town in Austria. The event has been embraced by both Volkswagen and its fans. We usually end up seeing some pretty sweet concept cars like a Porsche-powered VW Type 2 or the bonkers mid-engine VW GTI W12. This year, we'll see the new VW Golf GTI TCR Prototype, a near-production ready hot hatch that goes into production this fall.

This is the cornering on the door handles approach fans of the Rabbit GTI loved, remixed for a new age. With no driver modes, a wheelbase nearly identical to that of the Mk1 and skinny 195-section tires, this is as close as you'll get to driving an original GTI.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a favorite among the Autoblog staff. Until recently, one among us owned a fifth-generation model. The current Mk7 is a great car, but it's getting along in years. It's been on sale for four years in the US and six years in Europe. Development on the eighth-generation is underway, and spy photographers caught an early test mule having a bit of trouble on the road.

A comparison of two like-minded Volkswagens.

It's the perfect combination of performance and features.

It's no contest.

410-horsepower gasoline engine meets 16-horsepower electric motor.

Look for visual changes to accompany those under the hood.

The Golf and Golf R are only available as four-door models.

The VW Golf GTI TCR is one of our favorite racecars that doesn't compete in North America, but a few new photos give us a better look at this sweet racer.

Employing complex scientific formulas and methodologies probably best described as "Whatever we felt like choosing," Automobile has named its All-Stars for the 2013 model year. The 11 vehicles earned their trophies for being "the best and most significant" offerings to the mag's staff and contributors, and while we were surprised to see a couple of them on the list, none of them were shocking. In no particular order, they are:

Volkswagen Golf GTI Adidas – Click above for high-res image gallery

MTM Volkswagen Golf GTI and GTD – Click above for high-res image gallery

Click above for a gallery of the Volkswagen Golf GTI V50