VW Saves Combustion Golf – With A Huge Catch

Volkswagen has officially confirmed that the ninth-generation Golf GTI will be electric, but that doesn’t mean the gas-powered eighth-generation model is going away any time soon. Speaking to Top Gear Netherlands, the man in charge of VW’s technical development said the current Mk8.5 Golf could hang around until 2035, meaning it may still have another 11 years on the market. Kai Grünitz says it doesn’t matter that the Golf will be old by that time because it’s already fairly aged underneath the skin.

VW released the Golf 8 in 2019, and it recently received a facelift that did away with the manual transmission. That doesn’t seem very outdated on the surface, but the Mk8 platform is heavily related to the Mk7, which was released way back in 2012. If the current Golf does indeed survive until 2035, its platform will be 23 years old by the time it’s retired.

How Long Will The Mk8 Stick Around?

Grünitz says the 2035 date lines up with internal combustion engine (ICE) sales bans that are slated to go into effect around the European Union. ICE vehicles may stay on sale after the bans, but only if they can run on synthetic fuels. The Golf could face an early death based on emissions and safety regulations, like the ones that caused the gas-powered Porsche Macan to be discontinued in Europe. The same fate prematurely ended the combustion 718 range, too.

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VW could choose to give the Mk8.5 Golf a second facelift, much like it did recently with the Jetta and Jetta GLI in the US. This could include updated engines, though Grünitz has already called the current Golf “MQB perfection,” hinting that there is little reason to improve it further. In our minds, increased competition from rivals could force VW to further develop the platform. Without more performance, tech, and luxury, rivals will leave the famous Golf behind.

When Is The Mk9 Coming?

Originally slated to arrive in 2027, the all-electric ID. Golf has been delayed until 2029 along with other vehicles based on the new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). This is not the first time the VW Group has faced delays, as both the Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan EV were pushed back by several months due to software issues. The recently announced partnership with Rivian could help VW improve its software moving forward.

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Volkswagen’s Most Important Model Facing Huge Delays

The beloved Golf is in its eighth iteration, but it’s aging. Worse still, it could be forced to soldier on for another five years.

It seems like the electric GTI won’t hit showrooms for several years, meaning there is plenty of time to enjoy the current gas-powered model. The Mk8.5 Golf GTI now produces 262 horsepower, while the Golf R delivers 328 hp. VW could even decide to release a hardcore Golf R to send off internal combustion, though this is still only a rumor.

Source:
Top Gear