Fifty-years and flying - New Golf

Fifty-years and flying – latest Golf continues to impress 
Volkswagen’s Golf is celebrating its 50th birthday this year – and VW is launching an 
enhanced version of its bestseller to mark the anniversary. Customers will be able to 
order the new model in just a few weeks. 
The new Golf comes with a next-generation infotainment system, a more intuitive 
operating concept, a sharper front and rear end design as well as efficient drive 
systems. These include plug-in hybrid drives with an increased all-electric range of 
about 100 kilometres. In addition, an illuminated Volkswagen logo adorns the front 
for the first time on a Golf. 
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars: “The Golf has been at the heart 
of the Volkswagen brand for half a century now, offering affordable mobility for all at 
the highest technical level. This is precisely what we are now building on with the 
new evolutionary stage – with even higher efficiency, comfort and quality and a new 
operating concept. The Golf does not get any better than this.” 
Revamped front and rear and new light design. The new Golf’s redesigned front end 
features an illuminated Volkswagen logo and newly designed LED headlights. The 
top-of-the-range IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights incorporate a new high- 
performance main beam with a range of up to 500 m. The IQ.LIGHT 3D LED tail 
light clusters in both body versions have also received a new design. 
New infotainment landscape and ChatGPT integration. 
Inside, the model series features a newly developed, intuitive infotainment system 
with a free-standing touchscreen (screen diagonal up to 32.8 cm). This has 
ergonomically optimised and illuminated touch sliders for temperature and volume 
control at its base. 
Also new are the enhanced multi-function steering wheel and new IDA voice 
assistant. Using natural language, the IDA can be used not only to control functions 
such as the air conditioning, telephone or navigation system, but also to access 
online information from all conceivable areas – from weather forecasts to general 
knowledge questions. 
The Golf will have the latest infotainment system generation on board in future. This 
integrates the artificial-intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT into the IDA voice 
assistant. This feature can seamlessly access the ever-growing database of artificial 
intelligence. Occupants can interact with the car using natural language and have 
researched content read aloud to them while travelling. 
Parking made easy thanks to new assist systems. Manoeuvring the Golf is made 
easier by new assist systems such as the enhanced Park Assist Plus function. When 
driving past a parking space, it can detect whether the space (parallel or bay) is large 

enough and starts the parking procedure 3 accordingly. It takes over the steering as 
well as acceleration and braking 3 . All the driver has to do is monitor the parking 
process. 
In addition, Park Assist Pro will be available for the Golf for the first time, enabling 
drivers to guide the vehicle in and out of parking spaces with their smartphone. The 
vehicle can be driven out of the parking space remotely if the parking space is very 
narrow, for example. Another new feature is the Area View system – here, a 360- 
degree all-round view is created by merging four cameras, and the corresponding 
image is transferred to the infotainment system touchscreen. This makes it easy to 
see kerbs and parking space markings. 
New powertrain range. 
The new plug-in hybrid drives in the Golf offer increased power and an electric range 
of about 100 km, and are additionally equipped with a DC quick-charging function. 
The 48 V mild hybrid drives are particularly appealing for drivers who have no 
charging wall box at home. Several options – mild hybrid (eTSI), plug-in hybrid 
(eHybrid and GTE), turbocharged petrol (TSI) and turbocharged diesel (TDI) – will 
be available for the product line in the launch phase. The Golf GTI has become 
sportier with added power compared to its predecessor. Further Golf derivatives will 
be introduced successively throughout 2024. 
50 years of Golf history 
The first series-produced Golf was built at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg at the 
end of March 1974. The official launch began in May. Prior to this, the Beetle and 
thus the combination of a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive had shaped the 
Volkswagen brand for decades. At the beginning of the 1970s, the first Golf – like the 
Passat, the Scirocco and the Polo – marked the start of a new era: that of the front- 
mounted engine and front-wheel drive. The modern and safe drive system concept, 
the great flexibility with a tailgate and folding rear seat backrest, and the design were 
so convincing that the millionth Golf rolled off the assembly line by October 1976. 
In the seven generations that followed, the Golf came with technology such as the 
controlled catalytic converter and efficient drive systems, and additionally offered 
safety features such as the anti-lock braking system, airbags or the first all-wheel 
drive system in the product line. The secret behind the Golf’s success is also down to 
the fact that the designers transferred the first generation’s DNA to its successors, 
thereby cultivating the classic Golf design. 
Comfort, quality and innovative assist systems gained importance with each 
generation and continue to set standards today. Over the past 50 years, the Golf has 
become a high-tech compact class all of its own, the model winning countless awards 
and comparative tests at home and abroad. Various derivatives such as the Estate, 
Cabriolet and Sportsvan followed; the all-electric e-Golf and sporty models, with the 

abbreviation GTI, GTE, and the flagship Golf R quickly established themselves. The 
Golf was one of the first cars in the segment to offer assisted driving via Travel Assist. 
To date, more than 37 million Golfs have been sold across eight generations. The 
Golf is a solid pillar for the Volkswagen brand and is always able to adapt as a driver 
of innovation. With the new evolutionary stage, the brand is building precisely on 
that – with enhanced efficiency, comfort and quality and a smart operating concept. 

Ireland awaits Golf’s summer arrival 
Golf is lined up for summer tee-off in Ireland. Irish customers will be able to order 
the new Golf from next month. Pricing and model specifications will be announced in 
early February with the order books opening soon after. The first Irish Golfs will be 
available in showrooms from July. 
Alan Bateson, Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Ireland, said: “When the Golf 
first arrived here in 1974, few would have guessed it would go on to revolutionise the 
motor industry. Five decades later and it is still the first name that comes to people’s 
minds when you ask them to think of a Volkswagen. We are fortunate to have had a 
few iconic Volkswagens over the years, but the Golf is the car that everyone has either 
driven or been driven in. A vehicle for the people, it is also a car for the ages. This 
latest iteration is a perfect example of how the Golf has evolved over the years to 
cater for the latest motoring trends, tech requirements and customer demands.”