Developed to be the smallest runner in the family, the Lupo GTI was not a slow car with an aggressive look.
It was a go-kart with a roof and air-conditioning.

The name Lupo came from Latin and means wolf. While the smallest car in Volkswagen’s lineup was named after a ferocious wild animal, the car itself was rather bland than aggressive. It was the perfect shopping-cart with an engine in the front and a trunk that opened wide and high in the back But the GTI was something more.

The design was slightly different than on a regular puppy-wolf. It featured a new front bumper with a wide and low grille, plus a pair of air-scoops to cool the brakes or to look better. Whatever works. The 15” light-alloy wheels were fitted as standard and looked even better due to the slightly flared wheel arches. It was available as a three-door only. In the back, a roof-spoiler was added to the top of the tailgate. Not necessarily efficient, but looked cool in the parking lot.

Inside, the Lupo GTI featured the most important things for a (small) hot-hatch: chromed rings around the dials. It was not fitted with racy bucket-seats or 6-point harnesses, but with regular seats and some side bolsters. It was fitted with power-windows and climate control. The center stack featured a CD-radio as well.

The Lupo GTI was available with an inline-four that developed 125 hp from a 1.6-liter engine. That was in 2002 and some thought it was a very high power for the small and light vehicle. The rear trailing-arms suspension was the only weak point of the car. The McPherson struts in the front were good for the size of the small Lupo.