Build quality, technology, comfort and reliability. These have been the fundamental pillars of the Volkswagen Golf's commercial career.
The Volkswagen Golf is to be congratulated, it turns 40 this Saturday. A model that over these four decades has been the standard of excellence in the C-segment.
Launched in 1974, the Volkswagen Golf faced an arduous task. Nothing more, nothing less than replacing the iconic Volkswagen Carocha. Faced with such a demanding specification, Volkswagen did not make it easy and put all its means and resources into the development of the new Golf.
Starting from a blank sheet, the brand knew very well what it wanted: a reliable, comfortable car, with an interesting design and state-of-the-art technology. And so it was. Remember that until 1974, Volkswagen had only produced engine and rear-wheel drive models.
We can say that the Volkwagen Golf was the first Volkswagen model of the modern era. Result? The number of units sold speaks for itself: more than 30 million units of the car over these four decades.
Seven generations: seven successes
The first Golf was designed by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro. Volkswagen wanted the Golf to bring together the best of German technology with the best Italian design. The formula worked. One of the most appreciated lines in the first Volkswagen Golf was the wide format of the C-pillars, a detail that, by the way, was repeated in all generations of the model. As time went by, the model also grew, evolving in terms of the available space for passengers.
The second generation of the Golf arrived, it was in 1983. A generation that was once again marked by its technological content. It was the first VW car to receive an ABS system (in 1986). The third generation, launched in 1993, was the first to incorporate front airbags, an item that at the time was only available in higher-end cars.
In the fourth generation, the design of the Golf (1998) was completely overhauled. Its design abandoned the more angular lines in favor of a more organic design. For many, the most beautiful golf ever. In 2003, the Volkswagen Golf V arrived, which adopted for the first time side airbags and independent rear suspension, taking the model to a new level of sophistication.
The sixth generation was the one that changed the least compared to the previous one, visually speaking. The mechanical part brought important innovations, with engines aided by turbo and direct fuel injection.
Fruit of so many years of development, always choosing recipes with success, currently in its 7th generation the Volkswagen Golf can be considered one of the best cars today. A winning formula, which has never strayed from its core values: build quality, technology, comfort and reliability.
