Rendered Speculation: Volkswagen Golf VII already in the cards
by Jonathon Ramsey on Feb 25th 2009 at 4:00PM 
The current Volkswagen Golf (a.k.a. "Rabbit"), which is a 2010 model, hasn't made it through the front nine, and already the next Golf is being teed up behind it. The new model is planned for 2012, two years earlier than planned, perhaps because VW wants to recast what the Golf represents with a return to frugal-yet-sporty motoring.If these AutoExpress renderings are at all accurate, the reskin won't make your jaw drop, as there is little planned for the hatch's exterior save for a few tweaks. It is the philosophy of the car that takes a new stand, however: the Mk VII is rumored to ride on a smaller platform than the MkVI, borrow parts from the Polo, employ lightweight body panels, and get VW's Twin Drive plug-in diesel hybrid engines.
The focus on reduced weight will mean more punch from VW's smaller TDI engines. The Twin Drive, which is three electric motors mated to a 1.5-liter diesel, works on battery power alone at 31 miles-per-hour or below, and doubles the gas mileage of the 2.0-liter TDI. VW is also working on a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) that ditches the spark plugs in a gas engine to give it the fuel efficiency of a diesel. If VW can bring all of those things together in a couple of years and keep the fun-to-drive factor, the MkVII Golf sounds like a clear winner.
[Source: AutoExpress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Affalterbach 4:12PM (2/25/2009)
Finally! This represents true out-of-the box thinking.
One, that will hopefully save the Automotive industry.
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alexander 4:13PM (2/25/2009)
wow! a facelift to a facelift.. vw makes very creative cars, don't you think? :))
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Rev 4:24PM (2/25/2009)
LOL.
Looks like a very feminine (if that's possible) Wabbit that made love with a Fit...
Chase 5:14PM (2/25/2009)
Did you read the article? The image is speculation, not from VW. It has nothing to do with what will actually be produced... the only valuable information is in the writing. All the article says is that the platform is 100% new (fyi, the new platform is known as MQB, where the current one is A5). The new platform will focus on lighter weight and higher efficiency.
neutralgear 4:22PM (2/25/2009)
I guess the MkVI is pretty pointless now?
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Affalterbach 6:14PM (2/25/2009)
When it was launched, it was known that it was nothing but a stopgap model. The reason was that the Mk V was too expensive to manufacture.
Take a look of the mech. specs of the Mk VI, its in reality a Mk V.5
James_604 4:23PM (2/25/2009)
Wow! I have a new rabbit and 2.0T Jetta at the moment...but that new one is going to need at least a 240hp turbo to keep up with the likes of Mazda, Subaru, and the like....
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Rhawb 4:25PM (2/25/2009)
This looks more like I'd imagine the new A3, not the Golf. It seems to follow more Audi design cues than VW design cues.
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RoamingGnome 5:25PM (2/25/2009)
I knew the MKVI would be a minor update. Makes me pleased to own a MKV (granted that it's a GTI) but who knows what sort of fuel prices I'll be dealing with in 4 years.
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Poledanc 5:33PM (2/25/2009)
You guys should not repeat news from Auto Express like they were real news - AE makes up stories all the time, and this is no more than a guess, a wish-list of sorts. I mean, do you really think they would have genuine information to go on just 6 months after VW launched the Mk VI?
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Randy915 5:32PM (2/25/2009)
If they water down the Golf to make it even more frugal and pedestrian then the MK6 will be an even more attractive model. It seems like they want to bring the Golf down to Corolla/Civic territory and slot another car at the 25-30K range (Scirroco in 2012 maybe?)
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UrPQ32 5:53PM (2/25/2009)
neutralgear....not pointless. The mk5 was expensive to produce...the mk6 facelift, though on the same platform, was engineered to be much more efficient to manufacture.
and yep, as chase said, this will be MQB...the "Polo parts" referred to are because everything from the Polo to the Passat-class car and everything in between will be on this "platform" (which is more of modular-based component kits; its also to make manufacturing, as well as product design, more efficient)
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Affalterbach 6:14PM (2/25/2009)
Just curious, which car's internal designation was PQ32?
UrPQ32 6:46PM (2/25/2009)
lol...none. You're the first person ever to notice that though.
It's a back-cronymed designation for the mk2's (A2)...they started using the PQxx convention w/ the mk5's.
P.V. 6:44PM (2/25/2009)
I'm not surprised that this is happening; I AM surprised that the news has already broken on the Internet.
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Shiftright 8:11PM (2/25/2009)
Looks a bit like the late Fiat Stilo, whic is ironic because that car was Fiat's misguided attempt at being more German.
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Noz 11:19PM (2/25/2009)
This thing is getting uglier and uglier with every iteration.
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andrinoe 4:13PM (2/26/2009)
I like it, nice. I own a B6 Passat.
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