Series manufacturing of the brand new Golf has began on the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg: the primary automotive from the technically and visually revamped eighth mannequin era to roll off the meeting line in Hall 12 at present was a Golf Style in anemone blue metallic – nearly precisely 50 years because the very first collection Golf was in-built Wolfsburg.
“The Golf has been at the heart of the Volkswagen brand for half a century, offering affordable mobility for all at the highest technical level. The Golf has constantly adapted to customer needs, thus becoming a global bestseller – made in Wolfsburg. This is precisely what we are building on with the new evolutionary stage – with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new operating concept. The Golf does not get any better than this,” Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, mentioned.
Over the final 5 a long time, Volkswagen’s foremost plant in Wolfsburg has in a way change into the “soul” of worldwide Golf manufacturing: over half of the greater than 37 million fashions of this king of the compact class offered thus far – a mean of 400,000 models per 12 months – have been constructed on the foremost plant. This contains the “classic” Golf, now in its eighth era, with varied derivatives such because the Golf Variant and Golf Sportsvan, and a broad vary of fashions and powertrains.
The new mannequin is well acknowledged by its modified entrance finish. Visually defining options embody the newly-designed LED headlights. The top-of-the-range IQ.LIGHT – LED matrix headlights incorporate a brand new high-performance foremost beam with a really excessive vary. For the primary time in a European Volkswagen, the Volkswagen brand within the radiator grille can be illuminated. The IQ.LIGHT – 3D LED tail gentle clusters have additionally obtained a brand new design – in each the Golf and the Golf Variant.
The inside encompasses a new era of infotainment system with even quicker processors, a free-standing touchscreen (diagonal: 32.2 cm/12.9 inches) and an intuitive menu construction. The contact sliders for temperature and quantity management are actually illuminated. The newest digital devices are additionally all the time on board as normal. Also new is the multifunction steering wheel with easy-to-use buttons and the IDA voice assistant with built-in ChatGPT perform that may not solely be used to manage capabilities such because the air con system, phone or navigation system, but additionally to entry on-line info on virtually any matter – from flight particulars to basic information questions.
In phrases of the powertrain vary, along with the confirmed, environment friendly TSI, TDI and eTSI delicate hybrid drives, the Golf replace additionally provides two new plug-in hybrids with an electrical vary of nicely over 100 km and a mixed vary of some 1,000 km, in addition to a DC quick-charging perform.
The Volkswagen Group’s largest automotive manufacturing plant had one more reason to have a good time this week, too. Just just a few days earlier than the brand new Golf went into manufacturing, the manufacturing facility celebrated the 48 millionth automobile to go away the meeting line; no different automotive plant worldwide has constructed wherever close to as many autos because the manufacturing facility in Wolfsburg. It goes with out saying that the anniversary mannequin was a Golf. The mannequin in urano gray is already on its option to a buyer within the United Kingdom. “48 million is an impressive figure that would never have been possible without a motivated and skilled workforce,” Jürgen Mahnkopf, Deputy Chair of the General and Group Works Councils, mentioned. “Our employees have put their heart and soul into every single vehicle that has been built here over the last 50 years.”
With a manufacturing quantity of some 20 million autos, the Golf is the most-built mannequin on the plant. Second place goes to the Beetle, with nearly 12 million models produced in Wolfsburg between 1945 and 1975. The Tiguan now occupies third place, with just below 3.5 million fashions rolling off the meeting strains since begin of manufacturing in 2007. It has overtaken the Polo, the place manufacturing of greater than three million models on the web site on the Mittelland Canal started in 1975. “The connection between the Golf and the Wolfsburg plant is quite unique: Wolfsburg is the Golf – and the Golf is Wolfsburg,” Plant Manager Rainer Fessel mentioned. “As a team we have meticulously planned the start of production over the past weeks and months. Now we are delighted we will soon be seeing the new Golf on the roads.”