Volkswagen has trimmed its Golf lineup in the U.S. to just the GTI and Golf R, but the car is moving ahead with a facelift in 2024 ahead of a planned switch to electric. VW CEO Thomas Schafer recently shared a year-end recap for the automaker, giving us a teaser for the revised car before signing off for 2023.
The Mk8.5 Golf features an illuminated VW logo and revised LED daytime running lights. It retains the LED light bar that follows the hood line in current models. VW’s changes are similar to the updates it gave the Touareg in Europe, which brought an illuminated badge on the back end.
The cars may also pick up interior improvements with more physical buttons and a revised layout. A larger infotainment screen is also expected. That said, the Golf R and Golf GTI lose their manual transmission options after 2024, marking a significant change for the model.
Volkswagen has said that it would only sell EVs in Europe starting in 2033, so the Golf’s shift away from gas power isn’t a surprise. The new car is expected to arrive in 2028, riding on VW’s SSP platform. We’ve been hearing rumors for a while, and the automaker already has a small electric hatchback prototype, so the writing has been on the wall for quite some time.
[Image: VW via YouTube]
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