VW is bringing the traditional GTI lineup from Wörthersee to Wolfsburg. After the cancellation of the event in Austria, fans of the sporty VW Golf are scheduled to meet in person at the production site from Friday.
“The GTI is not only an icon, but the GTI meet has become a cult over the decades,” said brand boss Thomas Schaffer. “It is important for us to provide a new home for the GTI community in Wolfsburg, the heart of our brand.”
Out after 40 years
Next to the Volkswagen Arena, 35,000 spectators are expected from July 26 to 28. The Austrian community of Wörth am See announced the end of the meeting in 2023 after 40 years. The event, which recently drew more than 100,000 visitors, pushed the venue to the limits of its resilience and led to “increasing criticism and declining acceptance”.
He also noted “the consequences of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers to protect ecosystems and the need to align actions at all levels with the principles of sustainability.”
VW then announced that it would hold the meeting in Wolfsburg every year from 2024 – under a new name and with a changed concept. “This is not a GTI meeting at Lake Worthersee, but a festival of fans,” says project manager Sander Djeertsma. That’s why it’s now called the GTI Fan Festival. “It’s not about copying a Worthersee. We don’t want to, we can’t do that.
