Volkswagen research and development boss Frank Welsch is so eager to bring a 300bhp T-Roc R to market to rival the Seat Ateca Cupra that he's commissioned the build of a development car.

The prospects of a T-Roc R were first hinted at by VW chairman Herbert Diess back in May, but Welsch has since told Autocar that he has "one for testing" because he "likes this idea" - admitting that a T-Roc R "could go well in the UK".

UK consumers frequently buy top-spec VW models and the 306bhp four-wheel-drive Golf R is an unusually popular variant in the UK.

A T-Roc R’s future is “not decided yet,” said Welsch, but he’s increasingly confident. “It’s working here, and given all the feedback we get on the car, I’m sure there are lots of customers who would like this combination,” he said. “We have a 187bhp T-Roc, which is more than the competitors offer, and we’ll see if lots of people take that, and then it’s time to decide.”

The T-Roc is a Golf-based SUV aimed at the booming, Qashqai-dominated SUV market, due to go on sale in the autumn. It sits on the same underpinnings as the Audi Q2 and Seat Ateca, making the installation of the same powertrain family a relatively simple engineering exercise.

No T-Roc GTI - by Jim Holder

During a conversation at the Worthersee event in Germany earlier this year, VW chairman Diess said the T-Roc's hot model would bypass the GTI name and go straight for VW's hottest badge.

"I think with the three we have now, we are set [with GTI]," he told Autocar. "GTI for us is the hot hatch: a sporty car, classless and accessible for many. It should be this car - a hot hatch. [For an SUV], we have another sub-brand, R, which we are considering."

His comments supported those made at the start of 2017 by Welsch, who said a hot model had been talked about from the beggining of the T-Roc's development.

"I could imagine more powerful engines and it has been prepared for the eventuality," Welsch said. "I wouldn’t call it a GTI - an SUV isn’t a fitting car for that badge, perhaps - but I could imagine it as an R.

“Our first job is to launch the standard car and see the reaction to it. If demand is there for a more powerful car, we can likely satisfy it. There is a great deal of potential in the car that we can unlock if customers want it.”

The latest Golf R is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine making 310bhp and 295lb ft. It has a 0-62mph time of 4.6sec when equipped with a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, although the T-Roc’s greater weight and less aerodynamic shape, as well as the likely retuning of its engine to suit its high-riding characteristics, will likely blunt those figures.

The commonality of parts for cars using the MQB A platform on which the T-Roc sits also raises the prospect of the new SUV being sold in plug-in hybrid GTE form along with, potentially, a warm GTD set-up. However, the future of diesel engines in smaller cars remains up for debate as manufacturers weigh up the cost of meeting new emissions regulations for diesels against how much of a premium car buyers will be willing to pay. A pure-electric version of the T-Roc is unlikely, however, as VW is set to launch a bespoke family of electric models on its MEB platform from 2020.

Welsch’s openness to branding a fast T-Roc as an R model rather than a GTI also signals a clear policy to reserve the latter badge for its famous hot hatches. Even so, the firm is looking to broaden the appeal of its GTI range, with the entry-level Up GTI set to launch early next year.

As the SUV sector booms, car makers are looking to exploit sales niches while creating halo models that attract attention to a line-up as a whole while allowing them to exploit historically authentic performance brand names that set them apart from rivals. Nissan has toyed with limited-run GT-R-engined versions of its Juke SUV, and launched Nismo models, but VW’s decision to launch an R version of the T-Roc would signify a stepping up in the mainstream performance SUV stakes and be in line with the policy already signalled by stablemate Seat’s indications that it will launch Cupra versions of its SUVs.

Volkswagen's SUV assault

Now

Seven-seat Atlas is out for sale in the US and China now. European sales remain under consideration, although VW insiders are worried it will cannibalise Tiguan sales.

Mid-2017

New T-Roc set to be revealed ahead of autumn on-sale date. Will showcase a more emotional design language inside and out and face the Qashqai head on.

Late-2017

New Touareg spy pictures reveal that the firm’s range-topping SUV will develop the firm’s styling language and interior look in line with that of the now year-old Tiguan.

2018

New Polo-based SUV will be launched as a rival to the Nissan Juke. It will use the same underpinnings as the Seat Arona, which launches later this year.