The Volkswagen Golf 5’s future does not look very promising, and the model’s dwindling sales and high production costs have virtually secured its successor’s early introduction.
The Volkswagen Golf 5’s future does not look very promising, and the model’s dwindling sales and high production costs have virtually secured its successor’s early introduction.
Volkswagen SA recently celebrated the production of the 800 000th Golf 5 at its Uitenhage plant, but global reports indicate that the latest model in the successful Golf legacy may not be as popular as it was expected to be.
It may seem like just a few months since the Golf 5 was first launched, but flagging sales in its home market could see the car being replaced sooner than anticipated.
CARtoday.com recently reported that the Golf 5’s high production costs could spark the premature release of the Golf 6. With its launch expected in the latter part of 2008, it would shorten the Golf 5’s life cycle by as much as two years.
VW engineers have been instructed to keep the Golf 6’s engineering simple, making it cheaper to build and more profitable than the current model. A VW source recently told that the Golf 5 was “horrendously expensive to produce”, while chief executive Wolfgang Bernhard added that the production of the Golf required “two and a half times the number of hours required by the best of the competition”.
The Golf 6 has already been snapped testing (albeit disguised as a Golf 5) and is likely to drive on a modified platform of the car it replaces. It will also retain the current car’s multi-link rear suspension. Volkswagen’s new-generation direct-injection FSI engines will be used, along with its new range of dual-chargedengines and possibly a performance turbodiesel to complement the GTI.
Several fresh models will probably form part of the updated range, which could include a compact SUV crossover inspired by the Concept A, a sportier three-door and an MPV-like five-door.
