Volkswagen Confirms Final Design of Ninth-Gen Golf, to Launch All-Electric and Electrified Models

Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer stated that development of the ninth-generation Golf is "on the right track." He was immediately impressed by its appearance when he first saw the full-scale model last November, noting that the design evokes memories of the fourth-generation Golf. Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen's head of technical development, revealed that the final design of the new car is largely finalized, featuring a modern and timeless aesthetic, with the all-electric Golf’s design already 96% to 97% complete. Volkswagen plans to adopt a dual-track sales strategy following the launch of the ninth-generation Golf: one version will be a fully electric Golf built on the new SSB platform, and the other will be an electrified version of the current Golf (including plug-in hybrid variants) based on the MQB Evo platform. The two models will be launched simultaneously on separate platforms. Regarding the recent launch of the ID.3 Neo and why it wasn’t named the “ID. Golf,” Schäfer explained that although internal discussions had taken place, the ID.3 is fundamentally not a Golf. The company ultimately decided to retain its concept car name “Neo” rather than assign it an artificially crafted new name or incorporate it into the Golf lineup.