Believe it or not, it’s almost been 7 years since the Volkswagen Golf Mk8 began production towards the end of 2019. In Mzansi the car arrived quite late, with the media launch taking place in August 2021. Part of the reason was that we only received the GTI model and not the others. Last year in 2025 the lower model Golf 1.4 TSI became available to the market via the facelifted Golf range. Again, late in the game. This is why it looks to us like the Golf is still a new car.
Well, international markets know better. And they are currently being teased with an all-new Golf generation, the Mk9. Herewith is the car’s silhouette, clearly a Golf design, but with what looks like some evolutionary details. As things stand, we have no further details, other than that the Golf 9 will carry a range of powertrain options that include plain petrol, Hybrid and fully-electric. Some fortunate markets might also received a diesel option or two, something I highly doubt will happen to Mzansi.
Despite its iconic and global status, the Golf has been under pressure over the past decade, thanks to the SUV revolution. Consumers have been shying away from it, opting instead to get into cars like the T-Roc and Tiguan among others. Therefore it remains to be seen whether the Golf 9 can recapture the Golf magic and bring back customers.
