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Manual parked: Next Volkswagen Golf will be automatic only
Manual transmission will come to an end after starring in each generation Golf since the Mk I original debuted in 1974.
Manual gearbox, which has been part of the Golf linage since 1974 in four, five and six-speed guises, will end with either the “next generation” Golf 8.5. Image: Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s confirmed retention of the Golf for a ninth generation in 2028 will come at the cost of the manual transmission as soon as next year.
Back in January, it was report that the Golf could become part of the all-electric ID family and, therefore, adopt the moniker ID. Golf once the current eighth generation reaches the end of its lifecycle.
In a subsequent retort in April, Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer remarked that while the ninth generation will become fully electric, it won’t form part of the ID range and remain a standalone Volkswagen model despite the change in powertrain.
Facelift coming in 2024
Of the current eighth generation that went on-sale in 2019 against a backdrop of delays as a result of its in-car software, former Volkswagen South Africa head Schäfer said a facelift will be introduced in 2024 similar to the Golf 7, which could result in the updated model becoming the Golf 8.5.
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According to Britain’s Autocar though, the revised Golf, and therefore also the Golf GTI, will take leave of the five and six-speed manual transmissions as a result of the controversial Euro 7 emissions regulations.
Manual gone
“With the next generation of the Golf, there will not be one with a manual gearshift,” Wolfsburg’s Technical Development Head, Kai Grünitz, was quoted as saying.
Despite referencing the next generation Golf, Grünitz’s remarks is believed to highlight the “8.5” already undergoing testing in preparation for its debut next year.
With the exception of the GTI, manual transmissions currently feature on the 1.0 TSI, 1.5 TSI and entry-level 2.0 TDI derivatives, as well as on the Golf R sold in North America.
The move in reducing reliance on manual transmissions comes three years after Volkswagen announced a gradual shift away from three-pedals by 2023 in preparation for its global line-up electrification by 2030.
At the time, it was reported that the move will take effect with the next generation Passat, as well as the new Tiguan teased last week.
Row-it-yourself Volkswagens still available
In South Africa, where the decision to sell the “standard” Golf 8 was withdrawn months before its planned arrival, both the Golf GTI and new Golf R are exclusively available with the seven-speed DSG and without the six-speed manual option as a result of failing demand.
The eschewing of the manual ‘box is nonetheless expected to include South Africa in the long run.
At present, row-it yourself options can still be had on the locally made Polo and Polo Vivo, certain version of the T6.1 Transporter, the Polo Sedan, Caddy, T-Cross and lower-end versions of the new single and double cab Amarok.
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