Volkswagen shows three concepts at Wörthersee

Geographically, Wörthersee is a lake in Austria, a tourist attraction that defines the platonic ideal of a European getaway spot. It also happens to be the site of Europe’s biggest Volkswagen and Audi show, the Wörthersee GTi-Treffen. This year, VW showed a trio of concepts there, cars that have us longing for the keys to a GTI and a reason to take a European road trip.

The most outlandis of the three is the Golf GTE Sport, a gullwing-fitted coupe that uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain to reach a 280-km/h top speed and hit 100 km/h from a stop in 4.3 seconds. Oh, and the internal combustion side of that hybrid drivetrain is a 1.6L TSI motor borrowed from VW’s Polo R rally car. Check out a quick video of the car here.

Coming off its debut at the Shanghai auto show earlier this year is the Scirocco GTS (the grey car pictured up top), with a 217-hp engine and a standard R-Line package that adds unique body pieces to set off the car’s already rakish lines.

Finally, the VW GTI Clubsport is set to take the honour of being the most powerful GTI ever when it goes on sale next year. It’s got a 261-hp engine, unique front bumper and aero add-ons, plus an upgraded interior.