OFFICIAL: Next-Generation Volkswagen Golf Is Going Electric

The Volkswagen Golf will be renewed for a ninth generation, according to Thomas Schafer, CEO of VW Passenger Cars, who told Autocar at the 2022 LA Auto Show that the iconic nameplate will be fully electrified.

"We have iconic brand names, Golf and GTI," he said. "It would be crazy to let them die and slip away." These future models are expected to form part of the ID lineup. "There is a connection with VW and ID, and there is no need to cancel [ID]. We will stick with the ID logic, but iconic models will carry a name."

Schafer pointed to the ID. Buzz as an example, noting that ID models don't need numbers in the naming scheme. Thus, it's entirely possible that the Mk 9 Golf will arrive as the ID. Golf.

One would think an electric Golf would eat into ID.3 sales, but Schafer says this is not the case; he believes there's room for both. "The ID.3 has never been a successor to the Golf, it is more a Golf Plus." He added that, for Volkswagen, the Golf brand name is simply too valuable to abandon.

"We would not let go of the Golf name, no way."

In August, Schafer expressed concerns over the future of the Golf nameplate. He said it would make little sense to develop a new combustion-engined car that doesn't last for seven or eight years. But now we know the Golf will live on as an electric vehicle.

Basically, VW always knew that the Golf name was too valuable to throw away but hadn't yet decided if it wanted to invest in refining the combustion engine to meet ever stricter emissions regulations or risk the ire of its fans by going electric. At least now, the company has made a decision.

The concept of a battery-powered VW Golf isn't unimaginable. The company offered the Mk 7 as an e-Golf which was sold in the USA before being discontinued in 2020. The travel range of 124 miles left a lot to be desired, but it proved popular with many thanks to its stellar mix of good build quality, refinement, and practicality.

What does this mean for the future of the GTI and R models? Electrification has already been confirmed for the future of the R subdivision, and the GTI badge will likely go the same way. We can expect electric variants to arrive with the next model, but we may just be given plug-in hybrids in the interim before a full-scale switch to EVs. With the GTX lineup, Volkswagen has shown us it can build performance electric cars. Hopefully, the spirit of speedy VW Golfs translates well into the electric era.