Double debut at the GTI gathering: Apprentices from Wolfsburg and Zwickau present self-developed Golf showcars Aurora and FighteR

Fast, loud, spectacular and digital: With the Golf Estate FighteR and the Golf GTI Aurora the apprentices not only demonstrate their skills and their love for details – they also demonstrate that they are not afraid of challenges.

First premiere: Golf GTI Aurora from Wolfsburg

“The Wörthersee 2019 apprentice team equipped the Golf GTI Aurora with state-of-the-art technology,” says Christoph Görtz, Director of Vocational Training at the Wolfsburg location. Additional displays in the center console show the driver engine and vehicle data, which is particularly useful on racetracks. The front passenger can follow everything at the same time on a tablet device, which they can also use to control the 3,500 watt sound system.

The Golf GTI Aurora was created with the aid of several digital technologies. The apprentices first created the exterior and interior designs on the computer, with the details of the two-seater’s sound and multimedia tailgate package posing particular challenges. The apprentices therefore initially designed the rear side cladding and the mounts for the speakers and subwoofer on CAD computers.

“By taking part in the Golf GTI Wörthersee project, our apprentices gain wide-ranging and indeed interdisciplinary technical experience for their later careers,” says Christoph Görtz. “The integration of complex digital applications in the vehicle is of utmost importance, as are keeping to a schedule and maintaining quality standards, coordinating with the specialists involved, presenting their results and finding creative solutions to technical challenges.” The 12th vehicle in this project series brings a host of fresh ideas to Wörthersee.

The Golf GTI Aurora is powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with an output of 279 kW (380 hp) and a 7-speed direct shift gearbox. The GTI one-off is painted in the colors Nardo Gray (LY7C) and Deep Black Pearl Effect (in the rear) (LC9X), as well as the one-off accent color Mint Green. The bodykit with rear diffuser and all the decorative elements were painted by hand.

The Wolfsburg team under project manager Holger Schülke (by vocational training occupation):

Automotive mechatronics technicians: Team spokesperson Lorenzo Canu (22), Luca-Fabiano Lesse (22), Claudio Lindner (22), Patrick Marten (21); Automotive paint technicians: Kevin Behnsen (20), Kira Stöhr (19); Automotive interior designers: Estelle Fassonge (20), Lea Radmann (20); Process technician for plastic and rubber technology: Betty Zimberg (19); Technical product designer: Henri Vespermann (21); Technical modeler: Daniel Butz (22); Electronics technicians for automation technology: Jonas Schatz (19), Maximilian Neubauer (24), Jakob Piontek (20), Jasper Sünnemann (19); Media designer: Patrick Münchberg (20); Office management assistants: Dominik Metzig (20), Nicolas Hesse (19).

Second premiere: Golf Estate R 4MOTION FighteR from Zwickau

Powerful and broad-shouldered! Thirteen young apprentices from Volkswagen Saxony unveiled the Golf Estate R FighteR. This showcar with all-wheel drive is powered by a 295-kW (400-hp) TSI engine with 7-speed direct shift gearbox – and this power (100 hp more than the series vehicle Golf R Estate) is instantly visible on the FighteR thanks to its broad-shouldered body design on the front fenders and rear wheel wells. A full three centimeters wider after the modification – on each side!

The FighteR was built by apprentices at the automotive plant in Zwickau, the engine works in Chemnitz and the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden. Together they created a Wörthersee showcar that – thanks to a rooftop light system and front strobe lights in the grill – will be used as the safety car at racing events on the Sachsenring.The one-off has a glossy paint job in the base colors Crystal Silver and Nardo Gray; design colors are Misano Red and Piano Black.

The technological focal point is a 360° camera installed on the roof of the FighteR. Ahead of the event, it was used to record a scorching lap on the Sachsenring, which can be viewed during the GTI gathering at Wörthersee in the vehicle – with the integrated VR glasses.

The interior was also completely customized by the apprentices. The full leather interior with Alcantara extends all the way to the luggage compartment and is adorned by red decorative stitching and Alcantara inlays in the door panels and bucket seats. The auditory highlight is a sound system that has been custom-built for this one-off.

The Zwickau team under Claudia Kittler (by vocational training occupation): Design technicians:

Christian Teufl (22,) Laura Fallgatter (21); Electronics technicians for automation technology: Alec Hoppe (20), Maximilian Vogel (21); Process technicians for coating technology: Marleen Krupp (19), Aileen Langhof (19), Lena Schuster (20); Automotive paint technician: Tobias Poller (19); Automotive technicians: Nico Schille (22), Niclas Hauffe (18), Sebastian Vehlow (22); Industrial technician: Julian Winter (18); Mechatronics technician: Tom Ludewig (19).