setting its course to the future. It is in this era that the Volkswagen design DNA has its origins. With the debut of ESC (in 1998), the car continued to democratise safety. Also in 1998, Volkswagen unveiled the first all-wheel Golf with a Haldex clutch – the Golf 4MOTION. One year later, ESC became a standard feature, initially in Germany. The first direct-injection engine (FSI) and the debut of the standard head airbag (window airbags) followed in 2002. Also in 2002, Volkswagen launched the R32, with a top speed of 250 km/h. It was this top model of the range that in 2003 was the first to debut with the revolutionary dual-clutch gearbox (DSG). In the same year, the fully galvanised Golf IV made way on the production lines for the Golf V. Including all derivatives, a total of 4.99 million fourth generation units were produced – that is, 0.83 million Golf cars annually. Golf V. This was the Golf that boasted levels of comfort and dynamic performance that left many a competitor in its class