Ajax, Ontario — German automaker Volkswagen has announced the end of production efforts for the widely popular Golf hatchback, opening the door for the all-electric ID series in the U.S.
“Over four decades, the Golf has delivered a great value to American drivers,” said Hein Schafer, senior vice-president of product marketing and strategy for Volkswagen America. “It exemplified what Volkswagen does best—melding dynamic driving characteristics with purposeful packaging and unmatched quality. While the seventh-generation Golf will be the last of the base hatches sold here, the GTI and Golf R will carry its legacy forward.”
After the halt, Volkswagen will be able to focus on the new era of transportation that has been brought in by the chairman of the board, Herbert Diess, who has pushed for the automaker to transition to electrified models.
The Golf is a very popular car and a versatile car. While its hatchback design allowed for a sleek vehicle with unmatched cargo space for its exterior size, it’s design sought performance and customization.
However, it also was a great family vehicle, as it has cargo-space which was ideal for grocery-getting and hauling children around.
Due to its popularity as a versatile car, Volkswagen has decided they will not be getting rid of the “Golf style;” it is simply moving focus to an all-electric version of a similar vehicle with the ID.3 and ID.4
Volkswagen attempted to sell an electric version of the Gold in the U.S. and other markets. However, it didn’t implement the company’s MEB software that has given engineers plenty of headaches over the past year.
It was a reasonable range and was affordable but it wasn’t going to surge VW into the ranks of Tesla and others; the focus has inevitably moved to an all-electric lineup.
Moving forward, Volkswagen will build the ID.4 in its Chattanooga, Tennessee, production plant in hopes that its new, all-electric powertrains will contribute to an increasingly popular EV market share in the U.S.
Volkswagen will aim to take some market share away from Tesla just as Diess said in an introductory tweet on January 20.
Since 1974, more than 2.5 million Golf family models have been sold in the U.S. However, Volkswagen is entering a new era of electrification, with the hope that the ID.3 and ID.4 will change the company’s tune moving into the 2020s.
