The VW Golf has developed greatly over the past 50 years. picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen / Handout
The VW Golf has been around for over 50 years. As a direct descendant of the VW Beetle, the Golf has always had many fans.
VW has always impressed the Golf with new technology, new designs and special models.
Here you can find out how golf has developed in recent years.
Volkswagen (VW) has brought not one, not two, but eight generations of the Golf onto the market over the past 50 years. Whether brightly colored, convertible or limited edition, there was always something for everyone.
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The first Golf
The VW Golf 1 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
In 1974, VW turned away from the Beetle and released an entirely new car: the Golf. “The front engine, front-wheel drive and water cooling are no longer Beetle-like at all,” writes the magazine Vau-Max. The Golf One quickly became very popular with car fans. A year later, in September 1975, the Golf GTI appeared and of course from 1979 there was also a Golf one convertible.
More comfort in the Golf two
The red VW Golf 2 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
Nine years after the first Golf 1, VW brought its successor, the Golf 2, onto the road in August 1983. It was larger than the Golf One, offered more driving comfort and contained a newly developed engine. In the years that followed, other second-generation Golf models followed, such as the Golf two GTI, the Golf Country and of course a Golf two convertible, which, however, was based on the Golf one.
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Generation three – and the first Golf with an electric motor
The VW Golf 3 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
New decade, new Golf: The third generation of the VW Golf appeared in 1991. Gone were the round headlights, and VW focused on safety. If desired, an airbag could be installed in the new model on the driver’s side – and later also on the front passenger. The “Citystromer”, VW’s first electric Golf, followed in 1994. A year later, in 1995, several special models appeared, which were particularly noticeable with their colorful interiors.
Completely new look in the VW Golf four
The VW Golf 4 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
Just six years after the third generation Golf, VW released the Golf four. A completely new look and modern gadgets impress customers. In the following years, up to and including 2002, further variants of the Golf four followed. There was another convertible available for purchase, the GTI and the Golf R32.
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Golf five: for the first time with airbags and a high roof
The VW Golf 5 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
The fifth generation of the Golf followed a year after the fourth generation Golf R32: in 2003. For the first time, the Golf was equipped with an FSI engine, six airbags and electric exterior mirrors. The generation included sporty models, such as the new editions of the Golf GTI or R32. But VW also had the right thing for buyers looking for comfort, such as the Golf Plus with a high roof.
The Golf six – or the better Golf five
The VW Golf 6 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
In September 2008, the sixth generation of Golf saw the light of day. Basically, the technology of the Golf six is based on its predecessor, but the “crisp lines and an attractive interior” immediately convinced the public, as Vau-Max summarizes it. For the first time since the Golf Four, a new generation convertible was available to buy. To mark the 35th birthday of the Golf GTI, there was a special model called “Edition 35” in 2011.
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In the seventh generation, VW is focusing on diversity
The VW Golf 7 picture alliance / dpa | Volkswagen
Anyone who was present in Berlin on September 4th, 2012 would have been the first to get an impression of the seventh generation of the VW Golf. It was built from a “modular transverse matrix”, which is intended to reduce production costs. Shortly after its presentation in Berlin, the Golf seven GTI premiered at the Paris Motor Show. The Golf GTE, VW’s sporty hybrid Golf, followed in 2014 and in 2017 the Golf got LED headlights and a new range of 300 kilometers.
Generation eight with four doors
The new VW Golf 8 at its premiere picture alliance/dpa | Julian Stratenschulte
The latest Golf generation was born on October 24, 2019. For the first time, a generation without a two-door model. This time VW is delighting its fans with three new TSI models, which are even hybrid. There are also two GTI models available to buy, as well as a special model for the GTI’s 45th birthday.
VW could reportedly release the ninth generation of its iconic Golf in the coming years. However, anyone who wants to find out what the model will look like will have to be patient.
md
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