Mere mention of the word Wothersee gets the attention of any VW fan from around the world. The annual gathering in Austria started over 30 years ago but it has taken a hiatus in 2020/21 because, well.. you know why. VW HQ has commissioned over a dozen special projects that have been showcased at the Worthersee Treffen, and it was not going to change that in 2021 so it created the VW Golf GTE Skylight. While the car won’t be on show at the famous VW gathering it will be on display at Volkswagen’s Autostadt factory in Wolfsburg, Germany.

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Interns project

VW Golf GTE Skylight team

As has long been the case, the annual Worthersee project was created by interns working at Volkswagen. The VW Golf GTE Skylight was conceptualised and created by a group of youngsters working at the company, many of who are seen here.

Click here to check out previous Worthersee-specific creations.

The 2021 project car is based on a Golf GTE, which is the third Golf ‘GT’ derivative after the GTI and GTD. VW Golf GTE Skylight features an eye-catching exterior treatment. The most obvious is the special livery, in two shades of blue, that has been applied to the white body work. Blue was selected as it is VW’s colour of choice for eco-friendly models, as opposed to the red of the GTI variants. 

Read more on the Golf GT range here.

20-inch BBS wheels measure 8,5 inches wide and are also detailed in blue. The lower ride height is courtesy of a Bilstein coilover kit that has adjustment for height and damping. A few choice items have been borrowed from the Golf R. These include the side skirts and rear roof-mounted spoiler. Machine gun-style 3D printed tailpipes poke out of the rear bumper. The final change at the rear are the clear LED taillamps.

Check out the standard spec of the Mk8 Golf GTI when it arrives on local shores.

Snazzy inside

The blue theme has been carried into the cabin with the same shade used on much of the trim detailing such as the sports seats. There is a GTE badge hologram above the central touchscreen. A Golf R steering wheel takes the place of the standard item. In the boot is a booming audio system with a centrally mounted subwoofer. Peak power is said to be 3 110 Watts. The bass box shares boot space with an electric skateboard. 

Stock power

Under the bonnet of the VW Golf GTE Skylight is the stock plug-in hybrid powertrain. A 1,4 TSI engine is mated with an electric motor for peak power of 180 kW and 400 N.m. Power is sent solely to the front axle through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. If your German is better than ours you can learn more in the video below.