© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The new Volkswagen Golf 8 is unveiled at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, October 24, 2019. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen (ETR:) does not plan to develop a new generation of internal combustion engines for its legendary Golf, brand boss Thomas Schaefer told car publication Automobilwoche on Sunday, marking the end of the line for a vehicle for sale since 1974. .
The Golf 8, currently in production, will be the last combustion-engined version of the hatchback car, with a further series of updates expected next year.
“With that, the car is ready for the end of the decade. Then we have to see how this segment develops,” Schaefer said. “If the world develops completely differently than expected by 2026 or 2027, we could develop a totally new vehicle, but I don’t think it will. So far that is not expected,” he added.
Volkswagen’s decision not to invest in updating the Golf, for decades Europe’s best-selling car, is an indicator of the automaker’s shift in investment from retrofitting combustion engines to lowering the cost of electric vehicles.
The Volkswagen brand, part of the Volkswagen Group, aims for 80% electric sales in Europe and 55% in North America by 2030. The group aims for 50% electric sales globally by then.
The automaker plans to keep the Golf name for a future electric model, but the earliest it launches is likely to be 2028, Schaefer said.
It is scheduled to launch 10 new electric models by 2026, including a battery electric car for less than 25,000 euros ($27,000).
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