Affordability to be key for all-electric ninth-gen Golf

Segment-defining hatchback set for radical reinvention as family-friendly EV

- FELIX PAGE

The ninth-generation Volkswagen Golf is shaping up to be the most radically reinvented iteration of the ever-popular family hatchback yet, ushering in all-electric power and a raft of technology as part of an all-encompassing transformation plan for the VW brand.

Despite the ID 3 being commonly regarded as an electric alternative to the Golf, Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer sees the former as "more a Golf Plus". The two cars share a very similar footprint, but the EV's lack of an engine and transmission tunnel make it tangibly more spacious inside, and even in its base form it's much quicker than the standard Golf.

For these reasons the two models can "co-exist" in future, according to Schäfer, meaning the ID 3 wouldn't necessarily be retired after the arrival of a new, all-electric Golf.

The two cars would be obviously differentiated by bespoke styling and capabilities in a bid to carve out a distinct positioning for each, and Schäfer's commitment to preserving Volkswagen's best-known models names means the Golf badge can live on.

"The Golf name specifically has huge value," he told Autocar. "But at the same time, the ID brand has gained huge momentum. The recognition it receives at [customer] clinics: people absolutely understand what we're talking about. So to change the name to something completely different doesn't make sense."

The ID Golf, as Schäfer has suggested it could be called, would sit between the upcoming ID 2, which will in effect replace the Polo from 2025, and the ID 3.

It isn't expected to arrive before 2027, given that the current Golf is due an extensive mid-life overhaul in the coming months to sustain its popularity for another three to four years.