Volkswagen Has Built The Best-Selling European Car For 50 Years

Key Takeaways

Over 37 million units of the iconic Volkswagen Golf have been sold worldwide since it entered production.
Through 8 generations, the Golf has evolved with advanced technology, safety features, and increased efficiency.
The next-generation Golf GTI will arrive in 2026 as an all-electric model.

The legendary Volkswagen Golf celebrated its 50th birthday yesterday, having first entered production on March 29, 1974. Alas, we no longer get the base Golf here in the United States. We have to make do with the high-performance 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Volkswagen Golf R variants. But this is still a major milestone worthy of note.

Over the past half century, VW has built more than 37 million Golfs, 20 million of which were built at the company’s Wolfsburg plant in Germany. VW has also built the Golf in eight countries around the world, including the US at one point. In fact, we once got to drive an original Golf GTI (renamed the Rabbit GTI for the US), and it left a big impression on us.

Over 2,000 people per day have bought a Golf in the past 50 years, and you don’t achieve sales like that without a great product. The Golf is now in its eighth generation, and there are some major changes on the horizon for this storied model.

Volkswagen

Replacing An Icon

The original Golf faced a nearly impossible task: replacing the Beetle. VW revolutionized the market with the Mk1 Golf, introducing features such as front-wheel-drive, a diesel engine, and a convertible model. By the time it left production, the Mk1 had sold 6.9 million units on all continents. The Mk2 added technology such as ABS, an electronically controlled catalytic converter, and all-wheel-drive, selling an additional 6.3 million units.

Your Car Will Soon Be Your Best Friend Whether You Like It Or Not

Just don’t fall in love with it.

For the Mk3, VW focused on safety with airbags, crash structure improvements, and cruise control. It also added a V6 engine and an estate model, helping to rack up 4.8 million units sold. The Mk4 introduced the R32 performance variant, which offered the first direct shift gearbox (DSG) dual-clutch transmission. It sold 4.9 million units.

VW had truly hit its stride with the Mk5, adding a four-link rear suspension, bi-xenon headlights, and more airbags, selling 3.4 million units. Though the Mk6 was merely an evolution of the Mk5, it still outsold its predecessor with 3.6 million copies. The seventh-generation improved the recipe in a major way with less weight and improved efficiency, including the first electric e-Golf. VW says it sold a total of 6.3 million Mk7 Golfs up to 2019.

Volkswagen Golf Generations lineup — Volkswagen

What’s Next For Golf?

The current Mk8 Golf has already sold over one million units since arriving on the market in 2019. It was just given a facelift, dubbed the Mk8.5, improving the styling, increasing the power, introducing new technology inside. In fact, the 2025 Golf GTI will feature ChatGPT artificial intelligence that can learn your behavior and better adapt to your needs. The GTI will also drop its manual transmission option.

VW has already confirmed that the next-generation GTI, which will likely go by the name ID.GTI, will be an electric hatchback similar to the ID.3 but with more power.