Facelift to mark the Golf's 50th

Anniversary updates could be swansong for ICE-powered hatch as VW eyes EV era

- GREG KABLE

Volkswagen will mark the 50th anniversary of the Golf next year with the introduction of a facelifted eighth-generation model, and company CEO Thomas Schäfer has hinted that it could be the last combustion-engined version of the world's best-selling hatch.

Featuring updated styling, revised hybrid powertrains and a reworked cabin with larger displays and upgraded digital functions, it is set to be launched in the UK during the second half of next year.

The scheduling forms part of a strategy that will see the model cycle of the existing Golf extended beyond the traditional seven years of its predecessors, in line with VW's planned transition to an all-electric European line-up by 2033.

As previously reported by Autocar, VW intends to offer the new Golf exclusively with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox in certain models, as part of efforts to further reduce its fleet-average CO₂ emissions.

As with the upcoming third-generation Tiguan and the ninth-generation Passat, the 2024-model-year Golf adopts VW's new MQB Evo platform. It features a revised structure with stiffened mountings for the rear axle, among other changes that are claimed to boost its overall rigidity.

DRASTIC CABIN RETHINK

Volkswagen has reacted to criticism of the eighth-generation Golf with updated digital controls and higher-quality materials for the 2024 model.

Included is a new 10.4in instrument display and a 12.9in central infotainment screen, and the climate control 'slider' now lights up for easy use at night. The digital menu for the infotainment system is also simplified, with larger icons introduced in an attempt to make it much easier to use.