A fresh report out of Germany suggests Volkswagen is developing a new Golf Light, which is potentially exciting news for South Africans who fell in love with the Citi Golf produced at Uitenhage from 1984 until 2009.
According to AutoBild, the so-called Golf Light has been conceived as a budget-friendly hatchback to slot in above the diminutive Up (a vehicle that seems likely to go all-electric in its next generation anyway).
Exactly how the rumoured newcomer will compare with the Polo in terms of exterior dimensions, though, remains to be seen. Still, we’d expect it to run on the firm’s latest MQB A0 platform.
As you can tell from the German publication’s rendering in the video embedded below, the Golf Light is expected to feature a decidedly retro overall shape (it’s hard to miss the Mk1 hints in that boxy front end), while also incorporating elements of the later generation of VW’s Golf.
Expect power to come from the Wolfsburg-based brand’s familiar turbocharged 1,0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or perhaps an optional DSG transmission.
Inside, the publication suggests VW will use a fairly simple layout, ditching flashy options such as the digital cockpit in favour of more wallet-friendly solutions. Expect a fair amount of hard plastic, too.
The new Golf 8, meanwhile, is set to debut in the second half of 2019, with VW describing the hatchback as the “brand’s most important and familiar model for over 40 years”. As we’ve reported earlier, production of the new Golf 8 is scheduled to start in June 2019.
