45 years of the VW Golf

VOLKSWAGEN is celebrating the 45^th anniversary of its iconic Golf.

It was back in 1974 that the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg (Germany) officially started production of the car. Back then, no one had any idea that what was billed as the successor to the Beetle would end up selling more than 35 million units through seven generations.

On average a new Golf has been ordered somewhere in the world every 41 seconds, every day, without interruption, since the start of production 45 years ago. That is around 780,000 vehicles per year, making it one of the biggest success stories in motoring ever.

Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen said: “The Golf is at the very heart of our brand. It stands for progress and technology like no other car. For example, the Golf made safety technology affordable for millions of people for the first time. Thanks to this, it made its mark on an entire generation.” Brandstätter went on to emphasise: “For seven generations, the Golf has made a contribution to the development of Volkswagen as a brand and as a group – into one of the most important automotive producers in the world.”

Dr. Stefan Loth, Plant Manager at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg: “In 1974, our employees were facing the challenge of switching from the Beetle to the Golf. Since then, we have consistently continued to develop our main plant and today, in addition to the Golf, we produce the e-Golf1), the Golf GTE2), the Golf Sportsvan, and three additional models here in Wolfsburg.”