Winner at the 2008 Goldenes Lenkrad Awards.

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"Goldenes Lenkrad 2008 – Prestigious award for the best Golf of all time
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Expert jury rules: "Superior win in the compact class"
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Gold for the Volkswagen Group in a total of four categories
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Wolfsburg / Berlin, 06 November 2008 - Success on a full scale – that was the motto last night for the Volkswagen AG at the awards ceremony of the "Goldenes Lenkrad". An expert jury of the German newspaper "Bild am Sonntag" honoured the best new releases of the year, among them the 6th generation Golf. "The win of four categories confirms that the whole Group took the right course. We offer an incomparable spectrum of models and an enormous variation of design and technology. We make the perfect cars for everyone", says Prof. Martin Winterkorn, chairman of the Board of management at Volkswagen AG, who accepted the special award “Kleines Goldenes Lenkrad" on behalf of the Group that evening.
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Loud cheers at the Springer publishing house in Berlin, especially for the new Golf: The most valuable car of all time put the compact car competitors in their place. The quality and comfort level, unprecedented in this price class, made it to the clear winner. In Germany, the new Golf was launched in October with a starting price of 16,500 Euro.
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Also, last night three further categories of the "Goldenes Lenkrad" gave the whole group reasons for celebration: The Seat Ibiza won the small class category. The Skoda Superb succeeded in the mid-class. The Audi Q5 emerged as the winner in the off-road special class. In addition, the new Scirocco from Volkswagen ended up on a superb second place in a special class for Coupés, voted for by readers.
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The "Goldenes Lenkrad" was founded by Axel Springer 33 years ago and has since been awarded every year. The expert jury was composed of technicians, motor sport persons and celebrities and judged among other things the running gear, the environmental compatibility, the safety, the value for money, the design and the general driving impression."
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Safe Happens.

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Euro NCAP has just revealed the results of the crash tests for the new Volkswagen Golf. The new hatchback stands out achieving a five-star overall rating in the protection for adult passengers. Additionally, the Golf scored a four-star rating on child protection and a three-star rating in pedestrian safety. With these results, the new Golf sets itself as one of the main category's reference. Its never too much to remember that the new mkVI Golf comes standard with a high rigidity body, a total of seven airbags (including one for the driver's knees), a patented head restraint systems for front passengers (WOKS) and a set of multiple electronic systems destined to make your ride as safe as possible like the Automatic Distance Control (ACC), for example.

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"The new Golf – The safe choice

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Five stars: Top EuroNCAP certification for protective systems

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Wolfsburg, 22 October 2008 - The independent testers at EuroNCAP put the new Golf through a series of rigorous tests. The result: five stars which is the best result compared with the direct competition.

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The Golf, with over 26 million vehicles sold, is not one of the most successful vehicles in the world without reason: its diversity and quality are legendary and have made it a safe choice for over 30 years. With every detail perfected, the sixth generation is now setting new and higher standards for the whole Golf class and is thus the best Golf ever built. It is "Das Auto" and embodies the worldwide brand Volkswagen like no other vehicle. This excellent position was certified for the safety features of the new Golf in the most recent EuroNCAP-test: it achieved a phenomenal 36 of 37 possible points and was awarded five stars for occupant protection. It received four stars in the category child safety and thus achieved the highest possible number of points for biomechanical values. With three stars for pedestrian protection, the new Golf is, according to the ADAC, "a car with one of the best levels of pedestrian protection available".

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The Golf is fitted with a complete safety package as standard. A further improved safety body structure, seven airbags including a knee airbag for the driver and an innovative head restraint system for the driver and front passenger. Rear side airbags are also available as special equipment. Furthermore, the Golf is the first Volkswagen to have a "seatbelt fastened" detection system for the rear seats. The standard ESP with brake assist function provides additional driving safety. Furthermore, a new sensor concept for crash detection has been introduced with the Golf. The development of this so-called "crash impact sound sensing" system was awarded the innovation prize in Bavaria in May 2008.

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The new Golf has been in the dealerships since 10th October with a starting price of 16,500 Euro. At market launch, the new Golf will be available with two 2.0 litre TDI engines; they have an output of 81 kW / 110 PS and 103 kW / 140 PS respectively. A constant feature: a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The engine range will be extended during the start phase by four petrol engines with 59 kW / 80 PS up to 118 kW / 160 PS."

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Volkswagen Golf VI Online Special.

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Volkswagen launched today an online special for the brand new Volkswagen Golf VI. The site is visually very well acomplished featuring hi-resolution footage of the new Golf as well as a great 360º view of it. Just follow the link.

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Volkswagen Golf VI Online Special.

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1975 - 2008: The History of the Golf GTI.

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The Volkswagen Golf GTI was unveiled in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder engine with K-Jetronic fuel injection, developed 110 hp at 6.100 rpm and 103 lbs ft of torque at 5.000 rpm. This allowed the GTI, which weighed 810 kg unladen, to hit 100 kph from standstill in nine-seconds before reaching a top speed of 177 kph. The now familiar mix of a high-revving, responsive four-cylinder engine installed in a hatchback body with the emphasis on driving fun linked to a pared down interior came as a revelation at the time. Especially when combined with tartan trim and the now iconic golf ball gearshift. The car was an instant hit. By the time right-hand drive cars arrived in the UK in 1979 a total of 1,573 cars were sold in that year, a number that would triple within two years.

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In 1984 the Mk II GTI was launched and picked up where the Mk I left off. A new chassis structure, a 1.8 litre engine developing 112 hp and 114 lbs ft of torque and new styling evolved the GTI and saw it appeal to a new generation of fans. Sales of the Mk II GTI surpassed those of the Mk I, peaking at 17,193 vehicles in 1989. In Germany a supercharged G60 version developing 160 hp was sold, an output that wouldn’t be bettered in a GTI until 2002.

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Three years later the Mk III GTI was launched, bringing with it a new 2.0 litre eight-valve engine and improved aerodynamics over the previous Mk I and Mk II models. In 1993 the GTI was fitted with a 2.0 litre 16-valve engine, raising the power output from 115 hp in the eight-valve model up to a more substantial 150 hp and 133 lbs ft of torque to drop the 0-100 kph time to 8.3 seconds and raise the top speed to 214 kph.

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The introduction of the Mk IV GTI in 1998 saw significant changes to the line-up with the first diesel-engined GTI introduced along with two petrol engines in a total of four different states of tune. The Mk IV GTI made significant gains in refinement and safety – in 2002 the fastest accelerating and most powerful GTI produced up until that point was released in the form of the 180 hp GTI 25th Anniversary Edition. It was the success of this more powerful vehicle that inspired the introduction of the Mk V GTI.

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Launched in September 2004 at the Paris Motor Show the Mk V GTI equipped with a 200 hp engine was not only the most powerful but also the most focused GTI yet produced. A new 2.0 litre TFSI engine linked to a six-speed gearbox and standard Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) were linked to a new chassis equipped with MacPherson struts at the front and a multilink configuration at the rear. The vehicle was 15 mm lower than the standard Golf on new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. Visual cues were taken from the original GTI with the return of the tartan interior and the red surround to the grille element – even the GTI typeface used on the badge echoed that of the original.

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The Mk V GTI served as a basis for two special editions – the Pirelli and Edition 30. Both models were powered by an evolution of the 2.0 litre TFSI engine fitted to the conventional GTI, albeit both producing 230 hp.

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The wildest GTI ever created – the GTI W12-650 – was also based on the Mk V. Powered by a mid-mounted 6.0 litre W12 engine producing 650 hp the vehicle could accelerate to 100 kph in 3.7 seconds and could theoretically achieve a maximum speed of 325 kph. This prototype would serve as inspiration for the Mk VI GTI.

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More recently, Volkswagen introduced a sort of "last editon" for the Mk V GTI with a tuned up version of the 2.0 litre TFSI, this time developing about 240 hp.

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Production of the Mk V Golf ceased in August 2008.
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In total over 1.700.000 examples of the GTI have been sold worldwide since the vehicle went on sale in 1976.

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Paris 2008... Volkswagen introduces a design study for a Mk VI GTI. Although still dubbed a "concept" the car is pratically what you will see when the production version hits the markets next Spring. The new GTI evokes a successful past bringing along the iconic design featured in the Mk I GTI. Just look at the lovely black grille surrounded by two simple red lines. The heart of the new GTI is an evolution of the previous generation GTI. The new 2.0 litre TSI engine develops 210 hp and is able to reach 100 kph in just 7.2 seconds. The latest generation of the GTI will hit 240 kph of topspeed.

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The Mk VI GTI is getting ready to continue a long lasting successful story...
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Paris 2008: Volkswagen Golf GTI.

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The legend is back!

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Volkswagen presents at this year's Paris Autoshow the Golf VI GTI Design Study. Although still considered a concept, the car you see here is practically the same you will get when the production version is officially introduced in the beginning of 2009. The new GTI features a 2.0 litre TSI engine developing 210 hp, a 10 hp improvement over the mark V GTI. The new design language makes the car look more elegant and at the same time more sportier. Personally, I think it looks great!

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Check out the official presentation video for the new GTI and some pictures I have collected.

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Paris 2008: Volkswagen Golf VI.

The 2008 Paris Autoshow is currently under way and Volkswagen took the opportunity to present its brand new Golf to the public for the first time. The market introduction of the new car will take place later this month. For now, check out the official presentation video for the new Golf.

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Source: Volkswagen.

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A Sportier Future for the New Golf.

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According to Autocar Volkswagen is preparing three hot versions of the new Golf. The first one to arrive will be the reincarnation of the famous Golf GTD. This version, scheduled for the spring of 2009, will feature a 2.0 litre TDI engine with an expected 200 hp and tons of torque. The current R32 will be replaced by a GTI Plus version with the 2.0 litre TSI engine delivering around 270 hp. A seven-speed flappy paddle gearbox and a non-permanent four-wheel drive system will command the car's huge power. Finally, the R version, possibly a R42, will feature a 2.5 litre turbo-charged five-cylinder engine developing about 350 hp. This last version should arrive on the market in 2010.

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Next is the original Autocar article.

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"VW plans three hot Golfs

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Autocar has learned that Volkswagen is planning to launch three all-new performance VW Golf variants within the next three years.

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A performance diesel Golf – dubbed the GTD - is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2009. It will use the VW Group’s latest twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre TDI engine, offering in excess of 200bhp and 260lb ft torque.

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VW bosses have wanted to deliver a diesel-engined GTI since the Mark 5 went on sale in 2003. The combination of stringent European CO2 laws, the current economic climate and the arrival of the latest twin-turbo TDI technology means that the VW Golf GTD is now a certainty.

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VW is also looking at a Golf GTI ‘plus’ model. This harder-core version of the GTI will use a tuned version of the standard car’s 2.0-litre TSI engine to deliver up to 270bhp. It will also have a seven-speed DSG gearbox and a Haldex clutch providing non-permanent four-wheel-drive. This GTI ‘plus’ will replace the current-generation R32, although it also looks set to come close to entering the territory already occupied by sister company Audi’s S3.

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The final new performance Golf is likely to be another ‘R’ variant, possibly the ‘R42’, which is pencilled in for a 2010 launch. This will use a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine that will be shared with the forthcoming Audi TT RS, giving the Golf around 350bhp along with competitive fuel economy and CO2 figures.

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According to Volkswagen insiders the spate of new high performance Golfs has been brought about by an influx of Audi engineers into Volkswagen, and a move to bring about more component sharing between the two companies."

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Source: Autocar.

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