50th birthday of the compact class

50th birthday of the compact class

On March 29, 1974, Volkswagen started series production of the Golf in Wolfsburg. Back then, no one suspected that this compact car – the successor to the legendary Beetle – would become the most successful Volkswagen and best-selling European car of all time. The angular five-seater with a tailgate captured the spirit of the times, became the namesake of its class and has accompanied generations of people around the world over the last 50 years. To date, the first series Golf has been sold in more than 37 million units. In purely mathematical terms, over 2,000 people have decided on a new Golf every single day for the last 50 years.

In July 1974, the first new Golfs were in the dealer's salesroom. Where the Beetle and therefore the boxer engine in the rear dominated the range for decades, the new era of the transversely installed front engine finally began. This movement had been initiated at Volkswagen shortly before by the Scirocco and the Passat. With the Golf, the highest-volume class was now based on this new technology. As the successor to the legendary Beetle, which was built more than 21.5 million times, the Golf, designed by Giorgio Giugiaro and Volkswagen Design, had to live up to the great expectation of continuing the success story of the most successful car in the world to date. The plan worked: the modern drive concept, the variable interior and the new design were so convincing that the production of the one millionth Golf could be celebrated as early as October 1976.

With the first Golf GTI (1976), Volkswagen initiated the dynamization of the compact class. With 80 kW (110 hp), injection technology and a curb weight of just 810 kilograms, the compact sports car achieves a top speed of 182 km/h and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 9.0 seconds. The Golf D (1976) and the later Golf GTD (1982) marked the breakthrough of the diesel engine in the compact segment. And in 1979, Volkswagen brought a breath of fresh air to the “Golf class” with the equally successful Golf Cabriolet. A total of 6.9 million copies of the first generation of the Golf, including all derivatives, were sold on all continents by 1983. The Golf I had therefore proven to be a worthy successor to the Beetle.