VW GTI Roadster, Golf R400 Head to LA

Volkswagen is capping the year off by bringing two particularly exciting concept cars to the 2014 L.A. Auto Show.

The company confirmed today that it will bring both the GTI Roadster concept and the Golf R 400 Concept to LA for their U.S. debuts. The GTI Roadster was first unveiled during the Worthersee Meet while the Golf R 400 made its first appearance in Beijing. Earlier this week, rumors began circulating that the Golf R 400 is greenlit for production, but the company hasn’t confirmed the report.

The hi-po Golf in concept form packs 394 hp via a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that sends power to all four wheels just like the upcoming Golf R that it would sit above if it does, in fact, reach showrooms. The engine is related to the powerplant that VW uses in its WRC cars and, in this case, is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. VW says it will reach 62 MPH (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds.

Its all-wheel drive system powers the front wheels under low load conditions, but can direct power to all four wheels via a Haldex-5 coupling to deliver power to all four wheels. Despite that, Volkswagen refers to the system as “permenant all-wheel drive” and says it can send power to the back half before it is needed.

But that isn’t the only concept car that Volswagen plans to show in LA next week. The German brand will also bring the GTI Roadster concept, a vehicle that acts as a showcase for what could happen if the company were free of production constraints. As you probably know, the GTI Roadster was designed as a concept for the Gran Turismo 6 video game with no intent for series production.

The concept has a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 pushing out 503 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which is enough to propel it to 60 MPH in an estimated 3.5 seconds. Despite the open lack of production intent for the GTI Roadster, Volkswagen says both concepts show the “potential for Volkswagen’s design DNA.”