Self-styled as the King of Compacts, the Golf is one of the most important cars in the history of Volkswagen. This year he turned 50 years old. Five decades in which he has shown everyone the way to follow. With eight different generations introduced, the Germans are preparing for the future. The ninth generation will be completely new, from head to toe. It will be, once again, one of the most important cars in history, because It will be the car that launches Volkswagen into electric stardom, or failing that, buries it.. Wolfsburg takes its development very seriously and does not want to leave anything to chance.
It is no secret that things have not turned out as expected for Volkswagen. The Germans promised to be very happy with their electric ID range, but the reality is that they have not proven to be better than the competition.. The commercial weakness has spread to the rest of the range, including an eighth generation of the Golf that did not meet expectations. Although sales have been correct, they have not been extraordinary. Europe and the rest of the world are experiencing a time of transition, of change to electricity, but not consolidated enough to forget about combustion or traditional technology.
800 volt structure and more than 600 km of autonomy
On more than one occasion, Volkswagen has stated that it wants to once again be the Volkswagen that we all remember, and that means making the Golf a key and revolutionary piece. It will be the first car of the alliance to use the SSP (Scalable System Platform) platform.. A super structure that is already in development and that will bring together the best concepts and qualities of the platforms already present. All the group’s brands will work on the development, including Rivian. Germans and Americans have signed a collaboration agreement, after payment of 5.8 billion euros, through which Rivian will help with its knowledge and technologies.
“We have decided how we want to realize the software-defined vehicle. This will happen with Rivian, the joint venture in which we are putting together the new electrical electronics architecture. But we also decided that we wanted to start this journey with an iconic product. So we will start with the Golf,” explained the head of the VW brand, Thomas Schäferin an interview with Automotive News. It will be presented in 2028, although it will not hit the market until the following year. The plan has been delayed by 15 monthsbut nothing happens. The Germans will use that time to improve the features, implementing the new knowledge acquired from Rivian. Subsequently, the SSP platform will be extended to the rest of the group’s brands.
The importance is vital for the future of the company. The ninth generation of the Golf is expected to replace the ID.3, which has not been well received, although by 2026 “huge improvements” are expected across the ID range. In terms of numbers, it is expected that The electric Golf far exceeds the barrier of 600 kilometers of autonomy. The 800-volt structure will allow high charging powers, up to 300 kW in direct current with batteries of 80 kWh capacity. The power will exceed the 400 horsepower barrier and it is expected that the measurements will remain at current levels, around 4.3 meters long.
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