Next year will mark five decades since Volkswagen presented its first Golf, showing up with front-wheel drive and its engine ahead of the driver unlike the loaded-diaper Beetle. The model, currently in its eighth generation (or Mk8 as forum dweebs like to say) will receive some freshening for the big party in 2024 – and VW has decided to mark the occasion with a few retro photos.
If you’re looking for a way in which to while away the time at yer desk during these nebulous few days between Christmas and New Year’s, when no one’s sure what day it is and we’re all filled with cheese, may we gently suggest pointing an internet browser to this page on VW’s media site. There is a wealth of Golf history and, more importantly, entertaining snaps of the model from different eras along with more than a few creative print ads. Go mad and use up the company bandwidth – we won’t tell.
As for the upcoming Golf refresh, VW released a typical teaser shot which only reveals new lighting signatures up front plus a potential massaging of the bumper style. The company also promises Der Golf 8.5 will have new assist systems and “next-generation infotainment systems and software.” The latter is likely to be hauled from the brand’s SUV lineup where a wholesale rethink of such tech is mercifully underway in an effort to bin some of the, erm, odd UX decisions of present-day VW infotainment systems.
The bumf also talks in vague terms about new powertrains, though nothing is mentioned with even the slightest amount of specificity. There’s every chance in the world that the GTI may gain a few ponies from its current 241-horse stable, though any movement on that trim would likely necessitate also cranking the wick on the R, a machine which is presently good for 315 horsepower.
The company promises a premiere of the updated Golf (not next-gen, as VW themselves call the changes an ‘evolutionary development’) is just a few weeks away, suggesting versions might land on dealer lots this side of the pond before Santa shows up again.
[Images: Volkswagen]
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