Now that the Golf VIII has landed on the market, it is a good time to look back at some of the successes that one of the most iconic models in Volkswagen’s history has achieved throughout its 45-year life. Many were the previous generations of the model that were conquering the public little by little, however, the seventh generation arrived at the precise moment to captivate a user who was beginning to think about incorporating alternative propulsion systems. Thus, of the more than 35 million Golfs manufactured to date, almost 6 million have been Golf VII, making it a global best seller.
The development of the seventh Golf was focused on saving every last gram of CO2. With this in mind, it was considered that the overall weight of the new generation should be reduced and, at the same time, safety should be increased. And that’s exactly what happened: Volkswagen reduced the weight of the Golf VII by up to 100 kg and increased safety.
In addition, it included new driver assistance systems, which quickly became a success. Thus, for example, it incorporated the multi-collision brake and the Front Assist environment surveillance system with an emergency braking system in the city. The design, meanwhile, was clearer and more precise than ever. In this sense, Klaus Bischoff , the firm’s head of design, stressed that “the style is logical, solid, product-oriented, pure and precise.” “It reflects the brand’s design DNA as a pure doctrine of forms,” he added.
Later, Volkswagen was presenting the derivatives of the range , launched no less than four versions only in 2013: the Golf GTI, the GTD, the R and the Variant. Electrification of the product line followed in 2014, with the Golf GTE and e-Golf; while the Golf GTI TCR has become one of the sporting milestones of this year 2019, with 213 kW and 290 hp of power. The diversity, technology and appearance of the Golf VII really hit the right key, allowing it to become one of the three best-selling generations of the product line.
