The Golf GTI, Golf R and Golf R will still be available.
Motor1.com discovered in May 2019 that the Volkswagen Golf would not be available in America for much longer. Although the German automaker didn’t confirm the news, it made it official today. VW said it had stopped producing Golfs for the US market at its Puebla factory in Mexico. This would make the 2021 Golf the last one sold in this country since VW started selling them in December 1974.
America will still have a few German-made hatchbacks. The automaker will offer the Golf GTI as well as the more popular GolfR, both from the eight-generation Golf Series. These will be available for the 2022 model-year and will help to carry the Golf brand into the next decade. Each will sport updated styling and plenty of power under the hoods. The GTI produces 245 horsepower (180kilowatts) in Europe while the Golf R generates 315 horsepower (235 kW) in the United States. These figures could be adjusted for the US market.
The company has sold more than 2.5 million Golf models since the introduction of the Golf in the USA 46 years ago. It was originally known as the Rabbit. The second-generation model, which was introduced in 1985, gave the Golf its name. However, the Rabbit moniker would be returned for a short time during the fifth generation model that ran from 2006 to 2009. The last US Golf will be that of the seven-generation model, which rides on VW’s MQB platform.
Today’s 2021 Golf comes with a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that produces 147 horsepower (109 Kilowatts) or 184 pound feet (249 Newton-meters). It can be paired with either an eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. After 2021, there won’t be an entry-level model. Although information about the US-bound Mk 8 Golf GTI or Golf R is not yet available, it’s likely they will be very similar to their European counterparts.