VW Golf turns 40
Volkswagen has a lot to proud of, especially with its Golf, which is the most successful model in the history of the manufacturer. It’s been in South Africa 36 years and to date more than 30 million have been sold worldwide.
Are you old enough to remember the Golf I? It had a lot to live up to as up until that point, the Beetle was the world’s most successful car. On 29 March 1974 the first Golf rolled off the production line and by October 1976 the one millionth Gold was being celebrated. The first Golf GTI was launched in 1976 (1982 in South Africa) and the Cabriolet was first introduced in 1979.
We saw the Golf II hit SA shores in 1984 and then the beloved Golf III in August 1992. The Golf III was the first of the series to have of front airbags. Many new features made their debuts in this new Golf such as the first six cylinder engine (VR6) – everyone at my school wanted one of these. Cruise control also made its debut. ABS became a standard feature on all Golf models in 1996.
The Golf IV arrived in 1999 and it was with this model range that in 2003 the first dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) debuted. 2004 saw the Golf V arrive and was offered with eight airbags onboard (six were standard). And in 2007 the extremely fuel efficient Golf BlueMotion (4,5 L/100km) was introduced in Europe. The fifth generation was the last to be produced in South Africa.
We received the Golf VI in 2009 with its new assistance systems such as Park Assist and rear view camera making this sixth generation the most advanced Golf to date. The sixth generation Golf was fully imported from Germany. Last year we got the Golf VII with the TDI BlueMotion consuming only 3.2 l/100 km.
Happy birthday Golf!!!!!