Just yesterday Volkswagen revealed the first details of the all-new 2013 Golf 7, but a the same time, these spy shots emerged of what is potentially the next Golf R.

The Golf 7 GTI will be next to follow in the roll-out of the seventh generation Golf, and the Golf R is likely to be at least 18 months away, which raises questions marks as to whether the car seen here is in fact the next R version. On the other hand, with the Golf GTI expected to debut in ‘concept’ form at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, Volkswagen could very well already be working on testing the Golf R.

Spurring speculation as to the prototypes identity as the next ‘R’, are the 19-inch Talladega wheels, which are found on the current Golf R, together with a quad-exhaust tailpipe arrangement. Although spotted here in five-door guise, we already know the GTI and R will be available in a sportier three-door style too, thanks to spy shots of the Golf 7 GTI that emerged this time last year.

With news that the new Golf 7 will be up to 100 kg lighter than the current generation, thanks to VW’s new MQB platform, we can expect the same benefit to be passed on to the future Golf R. Technical details remain unknown, but with suggestions of a 165 kW Golf 7 GTI, (a 6 percent power increase over the Golf 6 GTI), an extrapolated power output figure for the Golf R would put it in the region of between 200 – 205 kW.

With the reduce weight from the MQB platform, increased power from the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, as well as the possibility of a 7-speed DSG transmission, the 2014 Golf R will be expected to trump the current car’s 5.7 second, 0 – 100 km/h, sprint without much effort.

It looks set to be a long wait before any firm details of one of the worlds most accomplished hot hatches becomes available. Until then, however, we have the new Golf 7, Golf 7 GTI and the Golf R Cabriolet to look forward to.