The best soups are made in old pots. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Golf will have a 100% electric version in its next generation, as confirmed by Volkswagen in recent months. Launch planned for 2027.
“It makes us very happy because [la Golf] It has this design that is still modern. And that will continue with an electric version,” Dorothée Bonassies, director of Volkswagen France, explains to BFM Business.
An electric Golf is not new. Regarding the previous Golf, the 7, VW marketed an e-Golf between 2014 and 2020 with just under 200 kilometers of autonomy. But the latter had disappeared from the catalog with the ID.3, VW’s electric compact launched at the end of 2019.
The strategy then seemed clear: the ID.3 embodied the electric future desired by the group, the Golf, an iconic model, a bestseller for a long time but aging. Like that old tureen that we dare not throw away.
The Golf is once again among the best sellers
In recent months, the situation seems to have turned in favour of the Golf. Having lost commercial momentum in recent years compared to SUVs (the Tiguan has become Volkswagen’s best-selling model), the former number one model in sales in Europe has regained its splendour. So much so that, according to data from Dataforce, discovered by the specialist site Carscoop, the Golf could once again be number 1 in Europe in May. A position that VW is working to maintain with the recent restyling of this eighth generation.
In terms of design, the Golf 8 Phase 2 remains a Golf. The appearance of an illuminated logo, a first for VW, represents the most notable stylistic novelty. In the cabin there are major changes with a new 12-inch screen separate from the one for the meters, located on the dashboard. This screen is much more responsive and intuitive thanks to the new infotainment system developed internally by VW. Called MBI4, it is also found in the ID range (100% electric models) and should solve the problems of failures that the brand has been suffering for several years.
Another novelty: the arrival of new plug-in hybrid engines with 140 kilometers of electric autonomy, according to VW.
Volkswagen is also counting on a price repositioning to attract buyers. The redesigned version of the Golf 8 starts at under 30,000 euros (29,990 euros). VW insists on a basic range (the Style trim level with a 116 hp 1.5 eTSI engine) that is 800 euros cheaper than in phase 1. This, however, leaves a Golf at 38,350 euros, a price that is still high.
Golf, ID.3: “different clients”
With this restyling, the idea of those responsible for VW is to preserve the Golf for the time necessary to turn it into a convincing electric version.
“It has to be a vehicle that corresponds to the values of the Golf. Otherwise it makes no sense,” Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer told Handelsblatt newspaper in February.
The values of the Golf, a versatile car for all uses, are precisely those that raise doubts for automobile expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. “The Golf is an excellent car, but every car has its moment,” explains this professor at the Duisburg-Essen automobile research center, who considers this transition as a step back. With an additional question while ID.3 should also continue:
“From the customer’s point of view, the question is: how credible is an electric Golf?”
“This is aimed at different customers who remain very, very loyal to Golf,” answers Dorothée Bonassies. “The ID.3 is aimed at other customers, other profiles perhaps a little younger, who want to try a different Volkswagen design. “Therefore, historical models and new models will coexist on the Volkswagen electric models line-up.
Source: BFM TV
