It’s in our nature to want it all. We want things even though they aren’t easily available to us, and no one can change our minds. That concept applies more than ever to cars. Car lovers hunt for foreign cars like Indiana Jones hunts for old relics. And when those cars are elusive, they want them even more. The Volkswagen Golf GTE has been around for years in Europe, but has yet to see the light of day in the U.S. But with a recent trademark change from Volkswagen has many guessing and anticipating a pond-crossing in its future. 

The Volkswagen Golf GTE is a performance-based hybrid

Earlier this year, the new VW Golf GTE was announced as a sibling to the Golf GTI and the diesel Golf GTD. The GTE is the hybrid version of the standard GTI, but with a slight lean toward performance. The VW Golf GTE is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor charged with a 13-kWh battery pack. Together, the powertrain generates 224 hp and can travel almost 40 miles on the electric motor alone. 

Visually, Volkswagen did an excellent job with the design of the trio of Golf vehicles. The GTI, GTE, and GTD all match each other with slight differences: the GTI’s name badge is in red, the GTE’s in blue, and the GTD’s is in silver, but they are all the same font and in the same place. Likewise, the interior color schemes match the name badges on the outside. And since the GTI is available in the U.S., and everything else matches the GTE, it stands to reason that we could someday get the GTE too, doesn’t it?

The Volkswagen Golf GTE could finally make its debut in the United States

Here’s some good news for VW fans: the GTE might finally be journeying across the pond. According to MotorTrend, Volkswagen recently applied to trademark the GTE name in the U.S., something they’ve never done before. Fans of the automaker immediately began speculating that it could mean they’re planning on bringing the GTE over here. 

It’s important to note that trademark licenses last for 10 years after you’ve applied. So while it’s understandable to get excited about a potential U.S. sale of the Golf GTE, we may still have quite a while to wait for a payout. We also can’t assume that whatever car they intend to produce using that trademark will be exactly the same as the GTE we’ve known from afar.

What did VW say about this speculation?

MotorTrend reached out to Volkswagen to discuss the rumors of them bringing the Golf GTE to the U.S. A spokesperson for the company responded by telling them, “[VW] regularly trademark[s] possible names for all sorts of purposes. This doesn’t mean that a name will necessarily turn up on a production car.” Trademarking a name they don’t intend to use can be a way of saving it from competitors or opening up possibilities for the future. 

There’s a big possibility that Volkswagen is simply hedging their bets and keeping the GTE name in their back pocket for the future. In any case, it doesn’t sound like there are any plans ready enough for the company to publicly announce, so we most likely don’t have anything to get too excited about just yet. If 10 years go by and the automaker doesn’t do anything with the GTE name, then we can officially feel bamboozled. Until then, keep an eye out for any and all Volkswagen news for a hint of what might be to come in the future.