Victory of safety. With the third generation of the Golf from August 1991, Volkswagen ushered in a new era of safety. On the one hand, the Golf III was the first model in the series, which was available with front airbags from 1992; on the other hand, however, major advances in the field of body design led to a significant improvement in crash characteristics. Numerous other milestones in the model series are associated with the Golf III: the first six-cylinder engine (VR6), cruise control, the first oxidation catalytic converter for the diesel engines, the first diesel direct injection engine and the first side airbags. The third generation was replaced in 1997 after 4.8 million units were produced.