On 29 March precisely 50 years in the past, Volkswagen began collection manufacturing of the Golf in Wolfsburg. Nobody knew on that day in March that this compact automobile – the successor to the legendary Beetle – would turn out to be probably the most profitable Volkswagen and best-selling European automobile of all time. It mirrored the spirit of the instances, gave its title to its personal car class, and has accompanied generations of individuals all over the world. To date, greater than 37 million items have adopted 1974’s first series-production Golf. Purely in mathematical phrases, which means over 2,000 folks all over the world have opted to purchase a brand new Golf each single day over the past 50 years. Today, Volkswagen is celebrating the Golf’s birthday – and in addition the beginning of this world bestseller’s future because of a complete technical and visible replace.
Volkswagen – from the spherical Beetle to the angular Golf. The first new Golf fashions could possibly be seen in sellers’ showrooms in July 1974. Where the Beetle and thus rear-mounted engines had beforehand dominated the scene for a lot of many years, a brand new period now lastly started: that of the front-mounted transverse engine. Volkswagen had already initiated this transition shortly earlier than with the Scirocco and Passat. With the Golf, the highest-volume class now additionally used this new expertise.
Volkswagen reinvents itself. As the successor to the legendary Beetle that had been produced greater than 21.5 million instances, the Golf developed by Giorgio Giugiaro and Volkswagen Design needed to dwell as much as excessive expectations so as to proceed the success story of probably the most profitable automobile of all time as much as that time. And it did so in each approach: clients had been so impressed by the trendy drive idea, variable inside and new design that the Golf had already hit the a million mark by October 1976.
The Golf precept. In 1974, Volkswagen wrote the next in regards to the new car with its giant tailgate: “The Golf offers maximum space and safety. It is uncompromisingly geared towards practicality. The low beltline gives drivers a clear overview, and the sloping bonnet ensures that the road right in front of the vehicle is visible. The rear window extends well down, making reversing much easier.” And this all nonetheless applies as much as the current day for each Golf ever constructed.
The Golf and the manufacturing unit. From the very starting, the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg and its workers additionally benefited from the profitable begin of the Golf I. To date, greater than 20 million Golfs have been in-built Wolfsburg alone. The 17 million Golfs constructed to this point exterior Wolfsburg have been produced in different German crops in addition to in Belgium, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Slovakia and South Africa. In this sense too, the Golf is a world automobile. However, its applied sciences have at all times been typical examples of progressive German engineering.
Eight generations of the Golf – a 50-year success story with over 37 million constructed.
Golf I – A mirrored image of progress. Just like all following Golf generations, the primary era was additionally a mirrored image of the technical state-of-the-art and present automotive traits. And that was not simply true of the ingenious use of house for the time and the car’s front-wheel drive.With the primary Golf GTI (1976), Volkswagen initiated the dynamic improvement of the compact class. The Golf D (1976) and the later Golf GTD (1982) ensured the breakthrough of diesel within the compact section. In 1979, Volkswagen launched the Golf Cabriolet – for a time the best-selling convertible automobile on this planet. This was like a breath of recent air for this car class, which had by then already lengthy been referred to as the Golf class. A complete of 6.9 million items of the primary era of the Golf, together with all derivatives, had been offered on all continents by 1983 – the Golf I thus proved itself to be a worthy successor to the Beetle.
Golf II – The milestone. Today’s Volkswagen Chief Designer, Andreas Mindt, sums up a very powerful second within the historical past of the Golf: “It was the switch from Golf I to Golf II. Volkswagen’s then Chief Designer Herbert Schäfer did everything right there. He modernised the second Golf but kept the DNA of the first generation. This bridge is extremely important for the Golf’s history. The Golf has always remained a further development of this original model. That is the special thing about the Golf, and the credit for this belongs to Herbert Schäfer.” Technologies such because the managed catalytic converter, ABS and all-wheel drive made their debut within the Golf II. A complete of 6.3 million Golf II automobiles had been constructed between 1983 and 1991.
Golf III – Safety first. From August 1991, Volkswagen kick-started a brand new period of security with the Golf III. This was the product line’s first mannequin out there with entrance airbags from 1992, and nice progress within the space of physique design additionally led to vital enhancements in its crash properties. Plenty of the product line’s different milestones are related to the Golf III, which had been constructed 4.8 million instances by 1997: for instance, the primary six-cylinder engine (VR6), cruise management system and the primary aspect airbags. For the primary time, this Golf was additionally out there as an property mannequin.
Golf IV – The type icon The Golf IV introduced in 1997 is as we speak thought-about to be a mode icon – little question additionally as a result of the truth that it bridged the hole to the Golf I from 1974 with its clear options and the hanging C-pillar design of the product line. With the Golf IV, Volkswagen achieved a brand new normal of high quality throughout the section. In parallel, the debut of ESP made an extra contribution to creating security out there to the plenty. In 2002, Volkswagen additionally introduced the sportiest Golf to this point on the idea of the fourth era: the R32 with a high velocity of 250 km/h. In 2003, this was the primary Volkswagen to obtain a direct shift gearbox (DSG). The Golf IV was changed in the identical 12 months after 4.9 million items constructed.
Golf V – Class limits abolished. With its excellent consolation, the fifth Golf – which was launched in 2003 – was miles forward of many opponents within the higher mid-sized class. The identical was true for high quality. A worth that underlined the steadiness of the laser-welded physique was the 35-per-cent enhance in torsional rigidity. For the primary time, as much as eight protecting airbags had been additionally on board. In addition, the Golf V, which had been constructed 3.4 million instances by 2008, impressed with a brand new four-link rear suspension, bi-xenon headlights and the primary 7-speed DSG.
Golf VI – High-tech compact class. By the top of July 2012, an extra 3.6 million Golfs had been produced in solely 4 years on the idea of the sixth era that was launched in 2008. And security as soon as once more took an incredible leap ahead: the once more laser-welded physique was so steady that it scored the utmost of 5 stars with flying colors within the Euro NCAP crash take a look at. New applied sciences akin to Light Assist (superior main-beam management), Park Assist, Hill Start Assist and adaptive chassis management (DCC) made the 2009 ‘World Car of the Year’ probably the most superior compact automobiles of its time.
Golf VII – Less weight, much less consumption. In September 2012, Volkswagen celebrated the world premiere of the seventh Golf. Its weight was diminished by as much as 100 kg in contrast with its predecessor, which meant that gas consumption was additionally diminished by as much as 23 per cent. New applied sciences such because the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control and Front Assist together with City Emergency Braking System rounded off the vary of help programs. In 2014, Volkswagen set its course for the period of electrical mobility with the brand new e-Golf. A complete of 6.3 million Golf VII automobiles had been produced as much as 2019.
Golf VIII – The progressive trendy period. Volkswagen introduced the Golf VIII in October 2019. With its new gentle and plug-in hybrid drives, it electrified the compact class. And as one of many first compact automobiles, it enabled assisted driving by way of Travel Assist. Even the entry-level model as we speak has options akin to Lane Assist, Front Assist, LED headlights, LED tail mild clusters and automated air conditioner on board as normal. In mixture with the non-compulsory adaptive chassis management DCC and the car dynamics supervisor, the Golf VIII additionally achieves an unprecedented unfold between consolation and dynamics on this class. More than a million items have been offered to this point.
Now – in 2024 – the brand new evolutionary stage of the eighth era has arrived. The new Golf impresses with a next-generation infotainment system, a extra intuitive working idea, a sharper entrance and rear finish design in addition to environment friendly drive programs. These embrace plug-in hybrid drives with an elevated all-electric vary of considerably greater than 100 kilometres. An illuminated Volkswagen emblem additionally adorns the entrance for the primary time in a Golf. In addition, the brand new Golf with voice management and the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT as soon as once more makes technical improvements out there to the plenty.