Volkswagen is helping its retailers take early orders for the Golf GTi, due in showrooms in January, through a dedicated website – www.newgolfgti.co.uk.

The site contains options details and indicative pricing: expected to start at £19,995 for the three-door. Once customers have configured their GTI, they take a copy of the order to their VW retailer for confirmation. A GTI helpline has also been set up to answer queries. Pre-orders are hoped to reach 3,500.

“We expect demand for the new GTI to outstrip supply in its first year,” says Robert McAllister, Golf product marketing manager. He expects to sell 6,000 next year.