Volkswagen's GTI Meeting finds a familiar home

Starting next year, Volkswagen will host its annual GTI Meeting, a large car meet for fans of the brand’s hot hatches, in Wolfsburg, Germany.

Formerly held at Lake Wörthersee, Austria, the Maria Wörth council announced this year it would no longer host the event due to its concerns of the effects of climate change.

Maria Wörth council said it “will no longer host any conventional major automotive events in the next few years”.

“Effects of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers for the preservation of ecosystems, and the need to align actions at all levels according to the principles of sustainability make it necessary to place the future design under new premises,” the council said in a media release.

The event had been held there since 1982, though it officially took a break during COVID.

“Our GTI fans are of great importance to Volkswagen and that’s why the exchange with them is very dear to us,” said Imelda Labbé, member of the board of management for sales, marketing and after-sales at Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

“For this reason, after the GTI Meeting at Lake Wörthersee was unfortunately cancelled, we decided pretty quickly to offer the GTI fan community in Wolfsburg a new home for the event.”

For the 2024 meet, Volkswagen teased it will include “surprises” and “interesting events” for GTI enthusiasts.

The carmarker will continue the tradition of offering vehicle presentations, stage shows and club meets but promises a “new event format”.

The Wolfsburg location will welcome a large number of guests with Volkswagen’s production plant sitting pretty nearby.

The event typically draws a large crowed, with over 100,000 fans in attendance in 2020. It’s typically held around June.

Due to COVID restrictions, enthusiasts were not able to meet in recent years. The 2024 meet in Wolfsburg will be the first in four years.