Golf

The Golf GTI is the compact athlete for all situations in life. With more than 2.5 million units produced, it is a true success model. To kick off the anniversary year, Volkswagen is presenting two vehicles from the first generation at the Bremen Classic Motorshow: a Mars Red Golf I GTI from 1979 and a Brilliant Black Golf I GTI from 1983 in the original rally patina.

It is the world’s most successful compact sports car: the Golf GTI. The original in its class. More than 2.5 million units have been produced to date. In 2026, the Golf GTI will turn 50 – and this will be celebrated with a variety of national and international classic events, the exclusive anniversary model Golf GTI EDITION 50, and the world premiere of the first all-electric GTI.

With the ‘Goldene Lenkrad’ (The Golden Steering Wheel) award, the trade magazine AUTO BILD and the BILD am SONNTAG newspaper recognise outstanding new models every year. This year, the Volkswagen brand has achieved exceptional success and is the first manufacturer in the 49-year history of the Golden Steering Wheel to win in as many as four categories. The Golf GTI EDITION 50 prevails in the compact class against two electrically powered competitors, while the ID.7 GTX Tourer wins in the upper mid-size class against two models from German premium manufacturers. The new Tayron wins as the best family car against two SUVs from the Czech Republic and Sweden, and the new T-Roc, which will be available at dealerships from this week, receives the editorial prize as "Best car under 40,000 euros".

GTI anniversary. A tribute to the first Golf GTI of 1976: the new Golf GTI EDITION 50. The anniversary model marks another milestone in the 50-year history of the successful compact sports car. In fact, with an output of 239 kW (325 PS), the Golf GTI EDITION 50 is the most powerful of all the Golf GTI models from series production to date. A maximum speed of 270 km/h also makes it the fastest production model of the Volkswagen brand. Only the Golf R also achieves this speed with an optional R-Performance package. Pre-sales for the Golf GTI EDITION 50 have already started. The anniversary GTI is available alongside the classic Golf GTI with 195 kW (265 PS) and the Golf GTI Clubsport with 221 kW (300 PS).

Status quo of the Golf class. Volkswagen R presents the most powerful Golf models of our time: the new Golf R and the new Golf R Variant with 245 kW (333 PS). The new maximum output corresponds to an increase of 10 kW compared with the direct predecessors. As standard. This power has so far only been available in exclusive special models. The Golf R Variant has never before been available with this amount of power. The times for the classic sprint from 0 to 100 km/h have thus now been shortened to 4.6 and 4.8 seconds (Variant) respectively. In the latest generation too, the top speed can be increased by 20 km/h to 270 km/h by adding the Performance package. This makes the Golf R models the world’s fastest Volkswagens together with the Arteon R Shooting Brake.

GTI – the next chapter. It has the world’s largest fan base of all compact sports cars and is regarded as the original in its class: the Golf GTI is the ultimate icon, with well over 2.3 million units sold. A new evolutionary stage of this vehicle is now being launched. The output of the Golf GTI has increased from 180 kW (245 PS) to 195 kW (265 PS). Pre-sales will get underway in Europe on 14 May. The next GTI highlight will follow just a few days later with the world premiere of the new Golf GTI Clubsport at the Nürburgring – as part of the legendary 24-hour race. This represents the start of a true GTI weekend: on 1 June, Volkswagen will unveil the 221 kW (300 PS) Golf GTI Clubsport in front of thousands of visitors, who will then be able to take a closer look at the top-of-the-range GTI model on the ‘Nürburgring Boulevard’. The world premiere is taking place to coincide with the celebration of the Golf’s 50th birthday (launched in 1974). To help mark the occasion, three classic Golf vehicles will be taking part in the ADAC 24h Classic (3-hour race) on 2 June just before the main race. And that’s not all. A truly unique Golf will then take part in the 24-hour race: the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h, which boasts an output of 256 kW (348 PS). This race car was originally designed by Volkswagen Motorsport and has now been taken to the next level. As a tribute to half a century of Golf, the race organisers have given it the start number 50. Volkswagen says thank you!