VW Made A Bonneville Speed Demon To Tease The Jetta GLI

Volkswagen of America is cooking up a treat for speed freaks. The German automaker recently announced the all-new 2019 VW Jetta will be the basis for the Bonneville Jetta in an attempt to break the BGC/G speed record at the Bonneville Speed Week in August 2018.

Revealed back in January, the 2019 VW Jetta is the seventh-generation model. It utilizes VW's MQB architecture which was first implemented by the seventh-generation VW Golf back in 2015. It is engineered to deliver a more sporting driving experience without giving up the famed refinement of the previous 6th-gen Jetta.

The Bonneville Jetta will receive a specially-tuned and modified version of Volkswagen's 2.0-liter EA888 direct-injected and turbocharged four-cylinder power plant. The car was built by renowned Bonneville preparation specialists THR Manufacturing based in Ventura, California. The experts at THR are hopeful the engine mods and the Jetta's aerodynamic 0.27 drag coefficient is enough to smash the Southern California Timing Association's BGC/G class record of 208.472 mph.

"We are delighted with the reception for the all-new 2019 Jetta in North America," Volkswagen of North America CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken said of the car. "With the attempt on the Bonneville speed record with the Jetta, we want to underline the Jetta's sporty credentials and get customers excited for the more performance-oriented Jetta GLI on the way."

Will the Jetta's Bonneville speed record attempt serve as the basis for the development of the high-performance VW Jetta GLI? Most probably. The yet-to-be-released Jetta GLI will feature a multilink independent rear suspension set-up to replace the current torsion-beam rear suspension in the 2019 VW Jetta. We also heard the GLI model will be equipped with the same EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged mill utilized in the Bonneville Jetta albeit detuned to produce roughly 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The Bonnevile Jetta will also benefit from major changes to the stock suspension. The car has been lowered and fitted with special Salt Flat wheels and tires; it's also given a limited-slip differential to improve traction. The interior was stripped-down and modified to accommodate a roll cage, racing seat, racing harness, and a fire-suppression system to offer enhanced safety and protection.

As a way to announce the impending arrival of a faster and high-performance Jetta GLI model, attempting to break the speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover would probably be a good place to start.

No land speed record car is complete without a slick set of body graphics. In the case of the Bonneville Jetta, the graphic treatment was conceived by the artists at the Volkswagen Southern California Design Center headed by Reto Brun.

"We wanted to highlight the sporty nature of the Jetta and gave the car design graphics that would really stand out on the alien-like environment on the Bonneville Salt Flats," said Brun. "We wish the team luck as they attempt to make the Bonneville Jetta the fastest Jetta – and the fastest production-based Volkswagen – ever seen!"

If Toyota can infuse some sportiness to the new Corolla and Camry, why can't VW do the same with the new Jetta? The Bonneville Jetta will attempt to break the speed record at the Boneville Salt Flats on August 11-17, 2018.