Volkswagen Golf to return with electric power for ninth generation

Arrival of electric Volkswagen ID 3 raised questions about future of the Golf

VW boss Thomas Schäfer says Volkswagen ID 3 and an 'ID Golf' EV can co-exist

The Volkswagen Golf is tipped to continue into a ninth generation with electric power, in line with the firm's plan to retain historically significant nameplates.

Volkswagen boss Thomas Schafer said the firm would not be retiring the Golf name, and instead the model could become part of the ID line-up of electric vehicles. The current, eighth-generation VW Golf is due to retire around 2027-2028.

The ID naming convention is here to stay, said Schafer, as it was already well known by buyers and is associated with electric VWs.

“There is a connection with VW and ID, and there is no need to cancel [ID],” he told Autocar at the LA motor show. “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.”

He pointed to the example of the Volkswagen ID Buzz already carrying a name, and that ID models didn’t always need to have a number after them (eg ID 3, ID 4 etc). To that end, VW “might have ID Golf”.

He added: “We would not let go of the Golf name, no way.”

Schafer made clear that the Golf would not be a replacement for the Volkswagen ID 3, and that the two models were considered separate cars in size and positioning. When asked if there was room for both, Schafer said “yes”. He added: “The ID 3 has never been a successor to the Golf, it is more a Golf Plus.”

His comments address a lingering question at VW as to whether there could be room for both a Golf and an ID 3 in a future line-up of pure electric vehicles, and whether or not they would converge into one model. The Golf would slot in between the upcoming ID 2 city car and the ID 3 in the future, likely atop the SSP architecture due to replace today's MEB EV platform in the coming years.