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Clear lines, pure design – the new Volkswagen was a revolution in 1974. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who created a genuine icon. Since then, the Golf has inspired time and time again – the latest generation, the eighth, was designed by Volkswagen Group Chief Designer, Klaus Bischoff, and his team. 46 years passed between the first and the latest model. The two designers were faced with very different challenges, and yet one question connects them both: how do you create a design that stands the test of time?

Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Eight generations of an icon: Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Group Design, is at home in the Golf.
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Master of the straight line: few have had such a big influence on automobile as Giorgetto Giugiaro. In 1999, he was voted “Designer of the Century”. With his company Italdesign, he shaped the design of the new Volkswagen models that emerged in the 1970s: the Golf, Scirocco and Passat all bear Giugiaro’s unmistakable style.
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
“Ultimately, technology is the basis for aesthetics,” says Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
“A designer like me must always be more than just a stylist.”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Giugiaro had no doubt about the Golf: “I was relaxed, because the result was well-balanced, including the economic aspect. The reason the Golf was so successful: because it was right as a whole!”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
The new Golf, from Head of Volkswagen Group Design, Klaus Bischoff, and his team, impressed maestro Giugiaro at its world premiere: “I am impressed that my idea has been retained throughout the generations. Like a young girl, who has grown into a beautiful woman.”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Head of Volkswagen Group Design, Klaus Bischoff: “The Golf is an icon. Icons remain true to themselves – whilst reinventing themselves time and again.”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
“The Golf is always a reflection of its time. Its design reflects the demands and desires of our society and allows millions of people to feel at home,” says Klaus Bischoff in the Golf 1.
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
“Design work is an extremely emotional process! You literally pour your heart and soul into it. And if you do not approach the creation of a new Golf emotionally, then nothing will come of it.”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Klaus Bischoff: “The Golf was, is, and will remain a car for everyone.”
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades
Story: The benchmark of its time – for decades