The latest, updated Volkswagen Golf has arrived in Ireland and will start arriving in Irish dealers in July. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Golf - the MkI went on sale in the summer of 1974 - VW is launching the updated version with a special Edition 50 model.
Edition 50 version with special badging
This special version will cost €37,500 (the regular Golf will have a starting price of €32,680) and will come with a 3D-plaque with the 50-year logo on the B-pillar, scuff plates with an ‘Edition 50’ year logo, leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel with 50-year logo, 18-inch alloy wheels and a large, 12.9-inch, touchscreen navigation system.
Significantly, this generation of Golf will come with updated plug-in hybrid eHybrid and GTE models, which, thanks to a new generation of 19kWh battery, will be able to go further than 100km on a single charge. It also has a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine for longer journeys.
eHybrid and GTE versions
It marks a significant shift towards electrification for the Golf, which hasn’t had a fully electric model since the e-Golf finished production in 2020 (which, in real-world terms, had a range barely any longer than that of the new eHybrid and GTE in electric mode).
That shift comes as the Golf passes its big 5-0, and VW is in a celebratory mood. Volkswagen Ireland director Alan Bateson said: “We are very proud of the Golf’s legacy in Ireland and the fact it has played such a pivotal role in Irish family life over many generations, offering reliability and versatility for our customers. We look forward to marking this milestone with a carefully crafted marketing campaign to celebrate 50 years of Golf in Ireland and welcome the addition of a special, limited ‘Edition 50’ trim that is sure to be a hit with customers.”
Special brochure
Part of the marketing campaign is a special Golf brochure that doesn’t just list the attributes of the new model but also delves into the Golf’s history, charting its rise from the original Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed MkI from 1974 through the the MkII of the eighties (the one that starred in all those iconic TV and print adverts), the 1990s MkIII (the one that came with a mighty VR6 engine), the MkIV of the early 2000s (the one with the amazing cabin and the blue instrument lighting), the MkV of the mid 2000s (the one with the amazing turbocharged GTI), the MkVI and MkVII (probably the best five-door hatchbacks of all time), and the current MkVIII.
The brochure even highlights the experimental models from the late sixties and early seventies - such as the Porsche-designed EA266 and the Lada-looking EA276 - which were part of VW’s efforts on how to work out the aged but evergreen Beetle.
The great Giugiaro
The brochure also includes some of the original sketches done by the great man himself, Giugiaro, in developing the look of the original Golf, and includes the tail of how the Golf was supposed to have had square headlights. “We want you to design a successor to the Beetle for us. And we will be satisfied if the space in the interior is about the same as that of the Beetle,’ recalled Giugiaro. “They showed me sketches and diagrams and then talked about the project of an entire model family and asked if I would be prepared to take on the task - and I was extremely happy about this opportunity. The new mass-produced car should be a modern compact car with a boot lid - in other words, a variable vehicle in line with the new trend. Volkswagen already recognised that correctly back then.
“Creating a beautiful vehicle is easy if you only make a few of them. But if you want to build thousands of them, you have to design the car in such a way that it’s easy to assemble. A designer, as I see myself, must always be more than just a stylist. Originally, I had planned the rectangular head-lights to be a mirror image of the tail light clusters in terms of their dimensions and arrangement. But that cost too much, so I had to take the round headlights.” From cost-cutting comes iconography…
The golden ratio
There’s also a chat with current head of VW Design - and all-round top bloke - Andreas Mindt who said: “The golden ratio can be found everywhere on the Golf I - just like on the Volkswagen Beetle. In terms of the ratio between the glass and door surfaces in particular, everything was very well balanced. This natural-looking design immediately made it very popular. Secondly, it also had something extremely progressive from the outset. For example, if you place a DeLorean DMC-12 [also a Giugiaro design - Ed] next to a Golf I, then you can see that the Golf is equally progressive. We have always tried to distil this essence and pass it on to every generation. In this way, the Golf has become the essence of the Volkswagen brand.”
It’s a cracking piece of Golf and VW ephemera, well worth seeking out online or at your local VW dealership. It charts the oddball bits and bobs of Golf history, too, such as the ‘E’ gear in the fuel-saving ‘Formel E’ version of the 1980s and the short-lived supercharged G60 Golf, which was a spiritual forebear to the Golf R.
VW chief executive Thomas Schafer puts it best when he says: “The Golf has been a constant at Volkswagen for 50 years, while at the same time being incredibly versatile and a driver of innovation. This is precisely what we are now building on with the next evolutionary stage - with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new operating concept. Above all, the Golf stands for countless exciting stories. Its 50th birthday is just the right moment to tell them.”