In June 2019, the Wolfsburg automotive plant will start production of the next-generation Golf. The Mk8 was announced at the Golf 8 Supplier Summit in front of 180 managers of 120 suppliers at the Volkswagen Arena by Ralf Brandstatter (Board Member for Procurement) and Karlheinz Hell (Head of Compact series group), alongside a teaser.
Introduced in 1974 and now in the 7.5 generation, the Golf is the perennial best-seller for Volkswagen in Europe. In terms of worldwide sales, the Golf is ranked third (952,826 examples sold in 2017), right after the Ford F-Series and Toyota Corolla. By comparison, the second-best ranked Volkswagen is the Tiguan, with 703,143 units sold in the previous year.
Wolfsburg, which is the heart of Volkswagen and the stomping ground of the Golf, produces in excess of 2,000 Golf vehicles per day, including the extremely versatible Alltrack, plug-in hybrid GTE, and electric e-Golf. It’s no wonder, then, that Wolfsburg is Europe’s largest car-making factory.
"Together with the I.D. family, the introduction of the upcoming Golf generation will be the most strategically important product launch for the brand. We have reached the decisive second stage of the project," Brandstatter said to the suppliers. By second stage, the official refers to working with suppliers to ensure a trouble-free start of production in 2019.
Volkswagen highlights that 80 percent of Golf 8 suppliers are under contract for the Golf 7.5, which is a sign of mutual trust between the parties. So what can we expect from the newcomer of the Golf family?
"The next Golf will take Volkswagen into the era of fully connected vehicles with extended autonomous driving functions,” declared Hell. “It will have more software on board than ever before. It will always be online and its digital cockpit and assistance systems will be the benchmark in terms of connectivity and safety.” So yeah, the German automaker is moving the compact segment forward with the next generation of the Golf.
From a design standpoint, Volkswagen will undoubtedly go the way of evolution instead of revolution. As for powertrain options, the biggest newity comes in the form of a mild-hybrid system combined with the 1.5 TSI Evo, integrating a 48-volt starter/generator.
Wolfsburg, which is the heart of Volkswagen and the stomping ground of the Golf, produces in excess of 2,000 Golf vehicles per day, including the extremely versatible Alltrack, plug-in hybrid GTE, and electric e-Golf. It’s no wonder, then, that Wolfsburg is Europe’s largest car-making factory.
"Together with the I.D. family, the introduction of the upcoming Golf generation will be the most strategically important product launch for the brand. We have reached the decisive second stage of the project," Brandstatter said to the suppliers. By second stage, the official refers to working with suppliers to ensure a trouble-free start of production in 2019.
Volkswagen highlights that 80 percent of Golf 8 suppliers are under contract for the Golf 7.5, which is a sign of mutual trust between the parties. So what can we expect from the newcomer of the Golf family?
"The next Golf will take Volkswagen into the era of fully connected vehicles with extended autonomous driving functions,” declared Hell. “It will have more software on board than ever before. It will always be online and its digital cockpit and assistance systems will be the benchmark in terms of connectivity and safety.” So yeah, the German automaker is moving the compact segment forward with the next generation of the Golf.
From a design standpoint, Volkswagen will undoubtedly go the way of evolution instead of revolution. As for powertrain options, the biggest newity comes in the form of a mild-hybrid system combined with the 1.5 TSI Evo, integrating a 48-volt starter/generator.