Autocar July 25, 2018

NEXT YEAR, VOLKSWAGEN will launch two similarly sized hatchbacks: the eighth-generation Golf and the production version of the ID Concept electric-powered hatch. It’s hard to know which is the more important. It’s tempting to focus on the ID. While the new Golf is the latest in a line of cars dating from 1974 and will feature only mild-hybrid technology, the ID hatch is Volkswagen’s first ‘pure electric’ car, the first built on the VW Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform, and the first in a whole family of electric cars. It’s a milestone machine that represents the future of Volkswagen. But it would be wrong to dismiss the importance of the Golf. It’s the firm’s bestseller and was the second bestselling car in the UK in 2017. We’re still some time away from…

The next Volkswagen Golf will move upmarket to carve out a distinctive new niche in the family hatchback market. The Mk8 Golf, due to go into production in less than 11 months, will have levels of fuel-saving technology, connectivity, autonomous driving capability and refinement that promise to render the mainstream competition second best. The Golf’s exterior styling, hinted at by a sketch shown at a suppliers’ meeting at the start of the year, will be an evolutionary design that again emphasises a wide, flowing C-pillar. There is expected to be a little more sharp-edged definition to the bodywork, following the template of the latest Polo. The GTI version will feature large corner air vents in its lower bumper, as previewed by the GTI TCR concept earlier this year. VW will use the…

NEXT YEAR, VOLKSWAGEN will launch two similarly sized hatchbacks: the eighth-generation Golf and the production version of the ID Concept electric-powered hatch. It’s hard to know which is the more important. It’s tempting to focus on the ID. While the new Golf is the latest in a line of cars dating from 1974 and will feature only mild-hybrid technology, the ID hatch is Volkswagen’s first ‘pure electric’ car, the first built on the VW Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform, and the first in a whole family of electric cars. It’s a milestone machine that represents the future of Volkswagen. But it would be wrong to dismiss the importance of the Golf. It’s the firm’s bestseller and was the second bestselling car in the UK in 2017. We’re still some time…

In 2017, Volkswagen sold 968,284 Golfs worldwide. That was down from 982,495 in 2016 but still an impressive effort given that the Golf Mk7 was in its fifth year on sale. It remains a sales powerhouse and a decent cash generator for the VW Group. A slight shift upmarket with the Mk8 makes sense for the Golf, especially as the profit margins for entry-level models are wafer-thin. Autocar understands that VW sibling Skoda is developing a new model that could step in for cheaper Golfs and suit buyers who want a more affordable hatch. Using the MQB AO architecture, Skoda is planning a Golf-sized hatchback that will replace the Rapid in its model range. This car would not only bridge the size gap between the Fabia and the Octavia but also ensure that…

The next Volkswagen Golf will move upmarket to carve out a distinctive new niche in the family hatchback market. The Mk8 Golf, due to go into production in less than 11 months, will have levels of fuel-saving technology, connectivity, autonomous driving capability and refinement that promise to render the mainstream competition second best. The Golf’s exterior styling, hinted at by a sketch shown at a suppliers’ meeting at the start of the year, will be an evolutionary design that again emphasises a wide, flowing C-pillar. There is expected to be a little more sharp-edged definition to the bodywork, following the template of the latest Polo. The GTI version will feature large corner air vents in its lower bumper, as previewed by the GTI TCR concept earlier this year. VW will…

Volkswagen’s MQB architecture underpins its bestselling model, the Golf, of which 968,284 were sold in 2017. The modular toolkit is used for most of the firm’s most successful models. In total, five MQB models currently account for 3.8 million global sales. The firm’s second-bestseller last year was the Jetta/Sagitar (the latter is a Chinese-market compact saloon), with 883,346 units sold. The seventh-generation Jetta, which went on sale this year, is now based on MQB, as are the firm’s two next bestsellers: the Tiguan SUV (769,870 sold), in both short- and long-wheelbase forms, and the Polo. The Lavida, a Jetta-sized MQB saloon sold only in China, is the firm’s sixth-bestselling model, with 507,000 made in 2017. That leaves the Passat/Magotan family, which is sold in Europe, the US and China. Current European versions…