From Beetle to Golf: Volkswagen’s Best-Seller Turns 50

The Historic Hatchback Itself
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Volkswagen Golf
A Look Back Over Time

In 1974, Volkswagen made history with the launch of its compact hatchback, the Golf. This vehicle left a significant mark, surpassing the brand’s previous bestseller, the Beetle, to become the best-selling car in the European market. Even today, an average of 2,000 units are produced daily. This year, the Golf celebrated its 50th birthday.

One of the Golf’s most distinguishing features is its distinct identity. The first-generation model has maintained its inherent characteristics of the current eighth-generation model. Despite this, each generation has recorded enormous sales, reflecting the car’s high quality. This time, we will quickly review the history of the Volkswagen Golf on its 50th anniversary and summarize the key models in its history.

The Volkswagen Golf 1st Generation: Elevating the Status of Hatchbacks

The Volkswagen Golf began with the first-generation model, the Mk1, in 1974. At a time when hatchbacks were a minority choice, the first-generation Golf immediately claimed the top spot in the hatchback market. This success expanded the hatchback market, significantly contributing to today’s large market.

The Golf then moved beyond the realm of family cars to significantly impact the performance car sector.
The hot hatch model, the Golf GTI, shattered experts’ predictions by selling nearly 200,000 units since its launch in 1975. The GTI’s success led to the birth of the diesel GTD and influenced various derivative models, such as the Caddy, Jetta, and Cabriolet.

The Quintessential Golf: What About the 5th and 7th Generations?

From the first to the fourth generation, Volkswagen officials began to ponder, ‘What makes a Golf a Golf?’ The answer to this question was the fifth-generation model, the MK5. Volkswagen officials believed that a Golf should be able to serve everyone, combining quality, comfort, and practicality. The fifth-generation model embodied these features well, earning much love during its sales period.

As the market evolved, Golf expanded its body size to the seventh generation. While some manufacturers sacrifice proportions and sentiment in favor of size, the seventh-generation Golf emphasized continuity and successfully applied the flow of previous models. Netizens praised this model as ‘fresh and clean,’ showing satisfaction with the successful transformation.

Is the Golf’s Crisis Coming?
What’s the Outlook for the Future?

The eighth-generation Golf MK8 was the first model to feature Volkswagen’s new logo.
The model was first revealed in October 2019. However, due to the Dieselgate scandal, the growth of electric cars, and disappointing technology applications, the Golf couldn’t enjoy the same popularity as before, even with the launch of a new model. Especially since 2022, it has been pushed out of the European bestseller car list, showing signs of failure rather than success.

The ninth-generation Golf, the MK9, is expected to be released within 2028. The model, expected to be a fully electric vehicle, will be built on Volkswagen’s SSP platform. Known as a culmination of Volkswagen’s technology, the platform is already stirring the hearts of many consumers. With the Golf currently recording negative growth, there is much interest in whether the fully electric model can turn the situation around.