Nobody expected that the possibility of abandoning the Golf, the most important model in the history of Volkswagen and the one that sells the most, would be considered so soon. But that is what the renowned German newspaper Welt says, assuring that the current generation of the Golf, the eighth, will be the last to be manufactured of the model that took its first steps in 1974.
The information provided by the German publication comes from the fact that the general director of the brand, Thomas Schäfer, has declared that “It doesn’t make sense to develop a new vehicle that won’t be able to maintain production for the next seven or eight years, its life cycle.”. To then implement: “This decision would be too onerous.” Schäfer also admitted that “VW is working on a remodeling of Golf” and that “A final decision will be made within the next 12 months.”
The current generation of the Golf was revealed at the end of 2019, having reached most markets in 2020, at least in all versions, so the model will have to be produced by 2028 to cover investments and generate the necessary profit margin. Now, Volkswagen believes that, very soon, it will be cheaper to produce battery electric vehicles than models of the same size with combustion engines, The CEO further stated that “100% electric models make more sense in the smaller segments of the market, as they will quickly become more affordable.”
This necessarily includes models with the same gauge as up!, Polo, Golf and possibly Passat, as well as SUVs and crossovers that share the same platforms and mechanics. This decision by VW is not unrelated to the need to strengthen exhaust gas treatment equipment in vehicles with a combustion engine, especially due to the introduction of Euro 7the new norm to determine consumption and emissions that must be applied from 2025. Thomas Schäfer estimates that Euro 7 will mean an increase in production costs of between 3,000 and 5,000 euros per vehicle, an increase that is more difficult to fit into smaller models and accessible.
If cars with combustion engines are going to become more expensive, due to stricter emission standards, electric competitors should see their price progressively lower, as the cost of batteries falls, either because of the increase in volumes of production or by the adoption of new chemical products and technologies. Therefore, VW has already admitted to releasing the ID soon. 1 and the ID. 2 -in line with what Cupra, Seat and Skoda will do-, the first a mini-saloon and the second a mini-SUV, both with prices between 20 and 25 thousand euros.
Source: Observadora
