VOLKSWAGEN has announced that its eagerly-awaited new Golf GTI can now be ordered via a dedicated new website.

The company has taken the unusual step of enabling customers to place their orders for the forthcoming model months before its debut, via www.newgolfgti.co.uk

According to company bosses, the site contains a wealth of information about the fifth-generation GTI, including indicative pricing and specification details.

The new model is projected to cost £19,995 on the road for the three-door, with the five-door carrying a £500 premium.

All details are expected to be confirmed on Saturday, September 25, the day the car makes its public debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Commenting on the decision to let internet buyers sign up in advance for the GTI, Robert McAllister, product marketing manager for the Golf, said: "We fully expect demand for the new GTI to outstrip supply in its first year of sale, such is the huge amount of interest in this model.

"This website will allow customers to get their order in early so they can be among the first to have the new GTI on their driveway."

The website enables customers to specify their GTI through a simple step-by-step configurator, choosing, for example, colours and upholstery.

At the end of the process, the customer is given a Unique Reference Number (URN). The customer then needs to save their order, print it off and take it to their nearest Volkswagen retailer, where the order is placed fully.

A dedicated GTI helpline on 0800 052 0484 is available to help customers with any questions.

Although exact performance specifications have yet to be released ahead of the car's debut, the first GTIs will be powered by the Volkswagen Group's new turbo-charged 200bhp 2.0-litre FSI petrol engine. Volkswagen's DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) will be an option.