The VW Golf Is Officially Leaving The USA
It’s the end of an era for VW USA. The plug will be pulled on the production of the US market Golf at VW’s plant in Puebla, Mexico, although there is enough stock to keep the 2021 version of the Mk7 going until the end of the year.
VW won’t be bringing the standard Golf 8 to the USA, although it will be possible to buy a 2022 Golf GTI or Golf R from autumn. As for the boggo 2021 Mk7 car, it’ll be available in only in ‘Golf TSI’ form.
These cars are fitted with VW Group’s 1.4-litre inline-four turbo ‘TSI’ engine, providing a healthy 148bhp and 184lb ft of torque. You can have it hooked up to either a six-speed manual or a conventional eight-speed automatic. Sorry, no quick-shifting DSG available here. If you want a manual it’s $23,195, while the auto weighs in at $23,995. A destination charge of $995 will need to be slapped on each.
The dropping of the model from the US market is a huge deal. VW has flogged getting on for 2.5 million of the things in the country since 1974, although sales have been waning in recent years. The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, with the car’s US departure first rumoured back in 2019.
Speaking about the Golf’s imminent US death, Volkswagen of America senior marketing vice president Hein Schafer said:
“Over four decades, the Golf has delivered a great value to American drivers. It exemplified what Volkswagen does best—melding dynamic driving characteristics with purposeful packaging and unmatched quality. While the seventh-generation Golf will be the last of the base hatches sold here, the GTI and Golf R will carry its legacy forward.”
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
This is unacceptable. I’ve owned two base Golfs in the past twenty years, and I can’t afford a GTI or an R. Volkswagen hasn’t heard the last of this from me. I will continue to keep fighting for the base Golf 8’s inclusion in the U.S. - and in Canada - for as long as I can! Visit my blog at mk8golf.blogspot.com to join me! #VWGolf #Golf8 #BringTheBaseMark8GolfToTheUSAandCanada
I get you. But don‘t be fighting the wrong enemy. In the end VW is a company trying to make money. If people in the US keep demanding larger and larger cars, a golf comeback seems unlikely. Get the government to tax high mpg cars and bobs your uncle. But good luck fighting big oil lobbyists…