Factory build sheet
2003 Volkswagen GTI 20TH Anniversary Edition
Build 9BWKE61J-3 · 1.8L 4cyl · Hatchback
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 9BWKE61J and position 10 reads 3. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every GTI whose VIN starts 9BWKE61J and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 148 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 148 known VINs
- 2 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Volkswagen with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 1.8 L
- Cylinders
- 4
- Engine manufacturer
- Volkswagen
- Horsepower
- 180 hp
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Hatchback/Liftback/Notchback
- NHTSA body type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Doors
- 2
- Manufacturer
- VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC.
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1
- GVWR
- 6,000 lb or less
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 9BW | VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC. · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | KE61J | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | 3 | Model year — 2003 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
148 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 9BWKE61J-3 shares the specification above.
- 148 Known VINs
- 2 Listed for sale now
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the GTI, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 148 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.