Factory code: Type 17 (A1)
“The little saviour,” headlines the press, because in the spring of 1974, those responsible held their breath for weeks, wondering whether the new Volkswagen Golf could live up to the expectations placed on its narrow shoulders. Sales of the Beetle were steadily declining, and Volkswagen was posting significant losses, something completely unheard of. The classic vehicle concept with rear-wheel drive and air cooling seemed to have reached its limits, and management and employees were unsettled.
The only solution is a bold move: a radical departure from the VW Beetle and a complete redesign. The huge sales success of the Golf in its first year of production prove that this is the right decision. The Volkswagen Group is involved in the development with all its subsidiaries and presents an impressive result: the new VW Golf looks good, it is designed by Italdesign under the direction of Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Golf is light – 165 kilograms less than the Beetle. It is compact – only 370 centimetres long. It is lively – with a 1.1-litre engine delivering 37 kW (50 PS) or a 1.5-litre engine delivering 51 kW (70 PS). It also has an almost perfect chassis and is available with four doors. Profits are rising because the Golf can be manufactured more efficiently, and its sales price is 600 DM higher than that of the 1303 Beetle. A new era for Volkswagen has begun.
