VW Celebrates the Golf’s 50th Birthday

The Volkswagen Golf, a model that has captured the hearts of automotive enthusiasts worldwide, celebrates its 50th birthday this year. The first Golf rolled off the Wolfsburg assembly line on March 29, 1974. Since then, the model has spanned eight generations, undergone several name changes (in the U.S.), spawned several variants, and achieved a remarkable sales figure of 37 million units globally. Bud Brown Volkswagen takes you through a brief history of this historic model.   

Time for a Change

By the 1970s, the Volkswagen Type 1, better known as the “Beetle,” had not only become a worldwide sales success but a cultural icon. It was also a core platform from which the Type 2 microbus, Type 3 wagon and fastback, and Type 14 Karmann Ghia were built. Though the Beetle and its variants experienced phenomenal sales growth in the 1960s, sales started to decline in the 1970s as the model faced competition from more contemporary designs.  

Vastly Different 

When considering a replacement model, Volkswagen considered dozens of alternatives with many different drivetrain layouts. What they decided upon was vastly different from the vehicle everyone associated with the Volkswagen brand. Indeed, aside from being relatively small, it is hard to imagine a greater contrast from its predecessor. Where the Beetle was rear-drive, rear-engined, and air-cooled, the Golf was front-drive, front-engined, and water-cooled. In addition, the engine was turned sideways to save space and fuel-injected to save fuel.  While finding a straight line anywhere on the Beetle was difficult, aside from the tires and headlights, it was hard to find a curve on the Giugiaro-designed Golf.  People could sit comfortably in the back seats, and a rear hatch and fold-down seats provided cargo capability never dreamed of in a Beetle. Its first year of production also included 4-door models, greatly enhancing the model’s practicality as a family vehicle.  

Another Growing Family

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Golf quickly expanded its family with variants, including a wagon, convertible, and a sports coupe model, all penned by Giugiaro.  The only model it didn’t replicate was the Bus. Ironically, a later Golf generation would provide the platform for the New Beetle in 1997, further cementing its place in the Volkswagen legacy.

Beetles shared production with the Golf at the Wolfsburg plant for just 4-months. All European Beetle production ended four years later, though it continued to be built in Australia, Nigeria, and Puebla, Mexico, where the last Type 1 Beetle was produced in 2003.

Bouncing Nomenclature

Going back to 1974, Volkswagen was concerned that the name of its new car, short for “Golfstrom,” which we English speakers understand as the Gulf Stream ocean current, wouldn’t resonate with Americans. So instead, they turned to the name of another small, likable creature and called it the “Rabbit.”  The name remained until 1983, with the introduction of the Golf’s first redesign (Mk2), at which point Americans received the Golf name as well. The Rabbit name was brought back for the U.S. in 2006 and discarded again in 2010, where the Golf name has remained for the subsequent 14 years. 

The GTI first appeared in 1976, introducing the “Hot Hatch” concept to the U.S. Though not the first hot hatch in Europe, it quickly became the most popular. For those not inclined toward a hatch of any temperature, 1979 brought us the Jetta, a sedan version of the Golf named after—you guessed it—the Jet Stream. 

A Proud Legacy

As previously mentioned, there have now been eight generations of the Golf, each reflecting updated styling but retaining the same general shape and proportions. The model has sold over 37 million models worldwide, 14 million more than its predecessor’s 65-year run. There have been diesel models, US-made models, 6-cylinder models, 4-wheel drive models, and an EV model in Europe called the ID.3 that clearly looks like a Golf to anyone. 

While US tastes have largely moved to crossovers like the Taos and Tiguan as small family vehicles, the Jetta and the two most exciting Golf variants remain available at Bud Brown Volkswagen. This includes the latest Mk8 GTI hot hatch and the even higher-temperature 315 horsepower Golf R with 4Motion all-wheel drive. Both models exhibit the most successful fusion of excitement and practicality you will find anywhere, and they are fitting examples of the Golf’s 50-year legacy.