Most markets are still getting used to the heavily facelifted version of the 7th-generation Volkswagen Golf, or version MK7.5, but as we know an all-new version of the popular hatch is being prepped for release. The only thing mucking up the waters was exactly how soon VW planned to have it follow up.
Now, the situation has become a little more clear thanks to some announcements made and sentiments expressed at the ‘Golf 8 Supplier Summit’, where VW Board Member for Procurement, Ralf Brandstätter and Karlheinz Hell, Head of the Compact series group, shed some light of the all-new version.
For starters, we’ve now learned that there aren’t plans to significantly alter the basic shape or formula of the Golf, meaning it could remain quite familiar to the 7th-generation car. Hopefully, they’ve also moved the yardstick further forward in terms of exterior design as they did with the all-new Polo. Given that, they’re also likely to have made the new Golf larger to maintain the segment gap.
Brandstätter confirmed that the car was already well into its more advanced stages of development, with final testing to begin soon and full scale production to commence not long after. Projections peg the car arriving in mid to late 2019, capping the process from conception to showroom reality at just around 3 years.
The all-new Golf will be built around the core concept of mass market electrification with each variant having some kind of hybrid augmentation. This can, of course, vary greatly with the lowest tier grades receiving the faintest of boosts via 48V electrical system; more than enough to sustain power delivery to more advanced standard safety and fuel saving technology after weaning the Golf 7.5 range with a twin 12V architecture.
Another advantage to having a robust electrical framework throughout the car is the avenues it opens with regard to autonomous driving systems; that being a key part of the new Golf’s foray into this new frontier, hoping to establish itself as a leader in its class. This coincides with the same technology being implemented to Volkswagen’s first dedicated EV, the ID hatch, also planned for a 2019 debut.
While the features that are purported to be coming to the all-new Golf are not necessarily new, such as Traffic Jam Assist which is available in Audis and even the most expensive variants of the Golf 7.5, they will be the first time they will be available broadly in a car of this price range.
In addition, it will also include the Level 3 autonomy capabilities from the 2018 Audi A8 limousine. As Karlheinz Hell elaborates: "The next Golf will take Volkswagen into the era of fully connected vehicles with extended autonomous driving functions. It will have more software on board than ever before. It will always be online and its digital cockpit and assistance systems will be the benchmark in terms of connectivity and safety.”
In terms of the car’s mechanical spread, through, things a little less exciting as it’s expected to carry over many of the same engine and drivetrain options - along with its corresponding tier of variants - over from the current Golf 7.5 - meaning a number of turbocharged petrol and diesel motors mated, more often than not, to a dual-clutch automatic.
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