WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - VW is bringing the traditional GTI meeting from Worthersee to Wolfsburg. Following the cancellation of the event in Austria, fans of the sporty VW Golf are to meet directly at the production site at the end of July. "Not only is the GTI an icon, the GTI meeting has also become a cult event over the decades," says brand boss Thomas Schäfer. "It is important to us to offer the GTI community in Wolfsburg, the heart of our brand, a new home." According to earlier information, up to 35,000 visitors are expected from July 26 to 28 directly next to the Volkswagen Arena.

The Austrian municipality of Worth am See had announced the end of the event in 2023 after more than 40 years. The event, which most recently attracted more than 100,000 visitors, had pushed the venue to the limits of its capacity and led to "increasing criticism and decreasing acceptance", the municipality had explained. It also referred to "the effects of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers for the preservation of ecosystems and the need to align actions at all levels with the principles of sustainability".

GTI meeting becomes a fan festival

VW then announced that the meeting would be held annually in Wolfsburg from 2024 - under a new name and with a different concept. "This is not the GTI meeting from Worthersee, but a fan festival," says project manager Sander Tjeerdsma. And that's why it's now called the GTI Fanfest. "It's not about us copying a Worthersee here. We don't want that and we can't do that either."

In addition to GTI enthusiasts with tuned vehicles, the aim is also to appeal to other car fans and families with children. There will be an extensive children's program for them, which will be significantly larger than in the past in Austria. In addition, several show vehicles that VW once designed especially for Worthersee will be on display again. At the end of the three-day event, a motorcade with up to 300 vehicles is planned across the VW factory site.

The VW Golf has been built in Wolfsburg since 1974, followed two years later by the sporty GTI version. "I am particularly pleased that we were able to bring the legendary GTI meeting to Wolfsburg in the 50th anniversary year of the Golf," says brand boss Schäfer with a view to the production anniversary at the end of March. "It's a perfect match."

Fans came to Austria despite coronavirus cancellation

GTI fans first met at Lake Worthersee in 1982. VW became the official main sponsor in 2006. The Group then regularly used the annual meeting for vehicle premieres and unveiled particularly sporty new products there. At times, up to 200,000 visitors came to the event to marvel at tuned VW Golfs, Polos and Sciroccos - most recently in 2019. In the three years that followed, the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic before the municipality announced its definitive end in 2023.

Unlike the municipality of Worth am See, Wolfsburg is now delighted to be the new venue. "This will once again attract many fans of the brand to Wolfsburg," says Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann. "This is a huge opportunity for the city." According to the CDU politician, the municipality wants to support this as much as possible. "So that it will be a complete success and then hopefully also a permanent fixture in Wolfsburg."/fjo/DP/he