The hearts of 12 Volkswagen apprentices are now beating faster in anticipation of the Golf GTI's 40 birthday party. The five women and seven men have already prepared their birthday surprise for the meeting on the banks of the Wörthersee in Austria (May 4 to 7, 2016): a Golf GTI that will be the only one of its kind!

The unique GTI, registered for road use, is to be unveiled next Wednesday (May 4, 2016) on the stage at Maria Wörth in the Austrian state of Carinthia - before an audience of tens of thousands of GTI fans from around the world.

'The Golf GTI is more than just a car. It is way of life and makes peoples' hearts beat faster,' says Jonas Rohrbeck (22), future automotive mechatronics technician and spokesperson of the 'Wörthersee GTI 2016' team. The apprentices from Volkswagen and Sitech Sitztechnik have transformed a standard Golf GTI Performance into a unique Golf GTI in line with their own ideas, with considerable creativity, skill and knowledge. They are training to be automotive mechatronics technicians, a process technician specializing in plastics and rubber engineering, a technical product designer, vehicle interior fitters and vehicle paint technicians.

'Our apprentices were inspired by the GTI emotion and the 40 anniversary of the Golf GTI,' project manager Holger Schülke emphasizes. The 'Wörthersee GTI 2016' was created in slightly less than nine months at the Automotive Technology Training team and is the ninth GTI Project vehicle of Volkswagen Vocational Training to be presented by apprentices at the Wörthersee meeting (since 2008). The team received support from instructors and other experts from the company, for example from the design departments, the paint shop, the pilot hall and the MultiMediaCenter.

'We took a look at previous Wörthersee GTIs- they are all really fantastic cars,' says Rohrbeck appreciatively. 'I am looking forward to the atmosphere on the lake, the GTI fans and to the reception of our GTI.' Schülke, who has worked with Wörthersee GTI teams for four years, says: 'Every Wörthersee GTI is a unique vehicle and every GTI meeting is a premiere. I am proud of our apprentices, their commitment and their skill - once again, the Wörthersee GTI 2016 is a very special GTI.'

The members of the Wörthersee Team 2060 by training vocations:

Automotive mechatronics technicians: Jonas Rohrbeck (22, team spokesperson), Nils Burgstedt (21), David Rodenberg (21) and Tobias Weber (21). Process technician specializing in plastics and rubber engineering: Lisa Brandes (21).Technical product designer: Sandrine Reißig (22). Vehicle interior fitters: Mona Bök (20) and Jacqueline Budich (21, both Volkswagen); Jennifer Hase (21) and Tim Schneider (20, both Sitech). Vehicle paint technicians: Marc Hoffmann (21) and Osema Zouari (26).

Sitech Sitztechnik is a Volkswagen Group company specializing in the development and production of vehicle seats.

The Wörthersee GTIs 2008 - 2015 and their highlights (selection):

2008: Golf GTI Performance: gull-wing doors, wide body, three-seater, air suspension

2009: Golf GTI Street: two-tone color scheme with decorative foil, matching interior

2010: Golf GTI Yellow Pearl: exclusive paintwork with matching interior

2011: Golf GTI Reifnitz: two-seater, multicolor paintwork with seamless transitions, aluminum gear shift knob

2012: Golf GTI Black Dynamic: decorative foil, embossed GTI logos on doors and tailgate

2013: Golf GTI Cabrio Austria: red, white and red paintwork, air outlets with honeycomb pattern

2014: Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition: Wolfsburg silhouettes on doors, inside and outside

2015: Golf GTI Dark Shine: exhaust system with spectacular sound and valve control

Volkswagen AG issued this content on 29 April 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 29 April 2016 10:01:12 UTC

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