It was on March 29, 1974 that production began Volkswagen Golf the first generation was produced at the Wolfsburg plant. The new compact was supposed to be the successor of the famous Beetle, which was produced with a circulation of more than 21.5 million units.

Modernity and technologies

In July 1974, the Volkswagen Golf was launched into dealerships: it then joined Volkswagen’s new line of transverse front-engined models like the Scirocco and Passat. Until now, the Beetle had a rear engine: therefore, its replacement took a real step forward and embodied the technological modernity of the time.
To make an impact, Volkswagen calls Giorgio Giugiaro to develop the design of the Golf, the goal: to continue the commercial success started with the Beetle. Customers were won over, and in October 1976 the German firm celebrated the release of the first million copies.
Back in 1974, Volkswagen defined its Golf design philosophy, which is still evident in today’s models: “The Golf offers maximum safety and generous interior space. The car is focused on practicality. The lowered belt line provides an excellent view for the driver, and the folded hood allows you to constantly monitor the road. In addition, the low rear window makes reversing maneuvers easier. »

Volkswagen Golf: a real success

The history of the Volkswagen Golf is closely related to the brand’s historic factory located in Germany at Wolfsburg, which spawned the Beetle during World War II. To date, more than 20 million Golfs have been produced in Wolfsburg, but a further 17 million have also been built at other plants in Germany, as well as in South Africa, Belgium, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Mexico and Slovakia. .
The first opus Volkswagen Golf conquered its buyers with the variety of its models: the first Golf GTI, launched in 1976, allowed Volkswagen to take a place in the compact sports sedan market. Diesel engines are also important, with the Golf D (1976), then the Golf GTD (1982). In 1979, Volkswagen launched the Golf Cabriolet, which quickly rose to first place in the world’s convertible sales.
In 1983, at the end of the career of the first generation Golf, no less than 6.9 million copies total was sold worldwide, all versions combined.

The Golf continues its prosperous career in no less than 8 generations: the latest one has just received an interim update with a lot of new technology.