The Golf is too essential a model to die with the ICE.
The possible name will simply be ID. Golf.
The Volkswagen Golf is a global and massive success for the German automaker. The 8th generation is doing very well in most markets and given the name’s recognition, it’s not going anywhere even when VW will sell only EVs.
Volkswagen Golf MK8 | Photo: Volkswagen
The current Golf has been on the road in Europe for more than two years already which would normally mean that the next generation will launch sometime in 2027 or 2028. Given Volkswagen’s well-known EV plans, the question was whether the Golf name would survive the transition.
“There is a connection with VW and ID, and there is no need to cancel [ID],” Volkswagen boss Thomas Schafer told Autocar at the LA motor show. “We have iconic brand names, Golf and GTI. It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carry a name.” This certainly sounds like there will be an ID. Golf.
According to Schafer, there will be room for both the ID. 3 and ID. Golf in Volkswagen’s lineup leads us to wonder about the Golf’s future in North America. As we know, it’s no longer offered here other than in GTI and R versions. Despite this, an ID. Golf for the US and Canada, as an affordable compact EV, could be easy enough to market in the future. Heck, they could even call it the Rabbit, though ID. Rabbit sounds off…
