Volkswagen AGThe first Volkswagen Golf
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 15:47
Exactly fifty years ago, the first Volkswagen Golf rolled off the production line at the Wolfsburg factory in Germany. Who would have thought that after so many years the car would still be such a great success. More than 37 million units of the Golf have now been sold over eight generations.
According to co-founder of car club GTI Club Holland, Peter van der Maden, the success of the Golf is thanks to the Italians. “Because it was difficult to follow up on the success of the Beetle, Italian designers were called upon to create a good design,” says the Golf enthusiast. NOS Radio 1 News.
The round shapes of the Beetle were exchanged for a car with sharp lines. “That was a bull’s eye. The Golf also had front-wheel drive instead of the rear-wheel drive in the Beetle. This gave you more space inside.”
With more interior space, everything is said. According to Van der Maden, the first version had no tarpaulin on the floor, no parcel shelf and only one counter. “I had them myself at the time and the first one was very brittle. From the Golf II onwards, where a special washing treatment was applied, they became sturdier and practically indestructible.”
VolkswagenA luxurious version of the interior of the Volkswagen Golf I
The start of sales of the very first Golf in 1974 did not go smoothly. The first versions were regularly recalled and the Beetle was still seen as an excellent alternative. But that did not hinder the success of the Golf. According to the car company, the Golf is even the most successful Volkswagen ever.
Journalist from car magazine AutoWeek, Marc Klaver, attributes the success of the Golf to the “classlessness” of the car. “Workers drove them, but also lawyers. Other brands really didn’t have that. Ford didn’t have that and Opel certainly not with the Kadett and the Astra, they were really workers’ cars.”
Keeping the name has also been a strong move by Volkswagen, says Klaver. “Ford changed from Escort to Focus and Opel from Kadett to Astra. In that sense, the Golf is an iconic car,” says the journalist.
GTI was unprecedented
The arrival of the GTI version, with a 110 hp engine, was “unprecedented” according to Klaver. Golf enthusiast Van der Maden has driven in all generations and owns no fewer than five. “Twice the Golf I, twice the second generation and also the eighth generation. All GTIs. But the favorite remains the very first Golf,” he says.
View all Golf generations at a glance here from 1974 to the present:
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Volkswagen Golf I
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Volkswagen 2nd Generation GTI (1989)
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Volkswagen Golf: Third Generation (1991)
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Interior Volkswagen Golf III
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Volkswagen Golf IV (1997-2003)
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Volkswagen Golf TSI 5th Generation
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The sixth generation Golf in a convertible version
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Volkswagen Golf VII (2012-2019)
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Volkswagen Golf the 8th Generation
According to Klaver, the consistent design of the Golf over the years also appeals to a large group of people. “Some people label it as boring, but that also sells. Simplicity is the hallmark of the true.” Especially when the CEO of Volkswagen started placing more emphasis on a beautiful interior around the 1990s.
Piano: “Class for the masses, the CEO called it at the time. A beautiful interior with beautiful materials that were not only reserved for BMW or Mercedes.” But without the price tag, because although the Golf was slightly more expensive than the competing models, the car remained affordable.
It remains to be seen whether the same number of generations of the Golf will follow. Klaver himself thought that it would end after the eighth generation, but now hears rumors that a ninth version is in the making.
2024-03-29 14:47:29
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