Golf 1st Generation (1974 - 1983)

Beetle successor. The first Golf in series production was produced at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg at the end of March 1974. The official market launch started in May. Prior to this, the Beetle and thus the rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive had shaped the Volkswagen brand for decades. But now, with the first Golf, a new era finally began: that of the front-engine and front-wheel drive. This movement had been initiated a few weeks earlier by the Scirocco and the Passat, which had already been introduced in 1973. However, the first VW with a front-engine and front-wheel drive was the K70, presented in 1970 and taken over by NSU. The fact is that with the Golf, the highest-volume class had now also been converted to the new technology. As the successor to the Beetle, which had been built more than 21.5 million times, the Golf I, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Volkswagen, had to live up to the great expectation of continuing the success story of the world's most successful car to date. However, the modern and safe drive concept, the great variability with a tailgate and foldable rear seat backrest, and the design were so convincing that the millionth Golf was celebrated as early as October 1976. 6.9 million units of the first generation of the Golf – including all derivatives and the identical Jetta at the time – were sold worldwide.