Report: VW confirms hotter GTI-R for U.S.

Volkswagen has confirmed that a version of its Golf R hot hatch - first displayed at last month's Frankfurt Motor Show - will be sold in the United States. Filling the void left by the departure of the R32, the Golf R will be known as the GTI-R in the U.S.

Like the show car, the U.S. version of the Golf GTI-R will be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder. Despite being down two-cylinders from the previous R32, the GTI-R will generate 265 horsepower, making it the most-powerful production Golf to date. Power will be sent to all four wheels.

GTI-R buyers will have the option of a conventional manual transmission or VW's popular DSG semi-automatic unit. Swapping your own cogs will result in a 0-60 run of 5.7 seconds while the DSG gearbox drops that figure to just 5.5 seconds. Top speed will be electronically limited to 155mph. Fuel economy is still rather good for that kind of performance, netting a 27.6 mpg average.

Look for the GTI-R to hit U.S. VW dealerships sometime next year with a slight premium over the standard GTI model.