Volkswagen's current Golf, the Mk8, will be the last to be equipped with an internal-combustion engine, VW brand boss Thomas Schaefer has confirmed.
In an interview with Automobilwoche (subscription required) published on Sunday, Schaefer said the next Golf will be offered exclusively with electric power, unless the industry takes a major turn from its current electrification path, which Schaefer said he doubts.
The current Golf was last redesigned in 2020 and will be given a major update in 2024. It means any electric successor is likely years away.
In his interview with Automobilwoche, Schaefer hinted the electric successor is likely to be released in 2028, at the earliest. That's because the company plans to use a next-generation modular EV platform known as the SSP, he said. The timing quashes rumors that VW's affordable electric hatch due in 2025, and previewed by the recent ID.2all concept, will be called a Golf.
Volkswagen ID.2all concept
The SSP platform was originally due in 2026 but has been delayed by about two years. First announced in 2021, the platform is being designed to accept battery cells and software systems that will be common across most of the models from VW's Volkswagen Group parent.
Eventually, all VW vehicles will be electric. Schaefer has previously indicated a target date of 2033, which is two years before the European Union's mandate for all new light vehicles to be electric, or fitted with engines that exclusively run on carbon-neutral e-fuels. VW's last vehicle to be launched with an internal-combustion engine is expected to be a redesigned version of the T-Roc compact crossover sold overseas. The next-generation model is expected to arrive around 2026.
