Volkswagen’s CEO says the German firm “would be crazy” to let the Golf badge die, before effectively confirming the ninth generation will go fully electric…

Rumours of the seemingly impending death of the Volkswagen Golf nameplate have been greatly exaggerated, if the latest comments from the head of the German automaker are anything to go by. Yes, a Golf 9 is coming.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand, confirmed to Autocar at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer had no plans to kill off the “iconic” name, effectively confirming a Golf 9 is on the way. As a reminder, the Golf 8 debuted in October 2019 and is set for a mid-cycle update relatively soon.

Earlier in the year, Schäfer said a decision on the future of established nameplates such as the Golf had yet to be taken. Now, however, the former managing director of VW Group SA has suggested the moniker will become part of the ID range of electric vehicles.

“There is a connection with VW and ID, and there is no need to cancel [the latter]. We have iconic brand names, Golf and GTI. It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carry a name,” Schäfer told Autocar, adding a moniker such as “ID Golf” was by no means out of the question.

VW’s CEO has suggested an electric Golf will eventually be sold alongside the ID.3.

“We would not let go of the Golf name, no way,” he said, explaining there was space for an electric Golf to live alongside a model such as the ID.3. “The ID.3 has never been a successor to the Golf – it is more a Golf Plus.”

Schäfer’s mention of “GTI” is also significant, seeing as the GTX badge has rolled out to performance versions of VW’s electric cars (such as the ID.4 GTX). Just how Volkswagen plans to use the GTI nameplate as its range becomes increasingly electrified remains to be seen. As an aside, VW’s high-performance R division is set to become fully electric by 2030.

Can we also apply Schäfer’s comments regarding the Golf to the locally produced Polo? Well, it’s perhaps too early to say for sure, though Martina Biene, freshly appointed as chairperson and managing director of VW Group SA, has confirmed both the Polo and Polo Vivo will continue “beyond 2025”.

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