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Volkswagen Golf Mk7 (2012): full story
By
Georg Kacher
Spy shots
02 October 2009 09:25
These are the first pictures of the new Mk7 Volkswagen Golf. Caught undergoing initial testing in Germany’s Eiffel mountains, we’ll see the first variants arrive in 2012.
Thanks to worldwide recession, Mk6 Golf sales are down 60,000 units in the first two quarters of 2009. But rather than speeding up the introduction of the Mk7 Golf, the downturn means Volkswagen will squeeze an extra few months out of the current car because of the costly takeover of Porsche.
What will the new Volkswagen Golf Mk7 look like?
We don’t yet know. Although the introduction of the new car has been delayed slightly, the design schedule hasn’t changed, aso the styling won’t actually be frozen until the middle of 2010.
Design chief Walter de’Silva recently admitted in an interview that choosing a design for the Mk7 Golf was causing him sleepless nights, and CAR understands that the choice has been narrowed down to two designs. Expect de’Silva to choose a mix of the two, working to keep the instantly recognisable look of the Golf, while still trying to move away from the evolutionary look. Tough job.
What about under the skin?
The new Golf will sit on the Volkswagen Group’s new flexible MQB platform, which will first be used on the 2011 Audi A3. It’s flexible enough that it’ll also sit under the new Passat, due in late 2011. Underpinning the Mk7 it should shave 130kg off the Mk6’s kerbweight.
Up first will be the three- and five-dorr hatches. After that there’s a slew of replacements for current Golf-derived models, and a few other potentials. The Touran and Tiguan will both receive longer wheelbases, as will the Golf Estate, which will be twinned with a replacement for the Jetta. There will also be a Golf Plus, and if VW can make it work, a Golf CC. The CC may not appear until mid-2013, and it could be developed with a Golf coupe.
>> Click 'Next' below to find out more about the next-gen Volkswagen Golf
