The end of the road for the combustion-engined Volkswagen Golf is looming, as the subsequent, Mk9-generation Golf will be fully electric, Autocar has reported.
Set to arrive in 2028, the Mk9 Golf will be based on manufacturer’s new SSP architecture and will be positioned between the upcoming ID 2 and the ID 3 hatchback, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer told the magazine.
“The SSP architecture will balance the need for scale and standardisation with differentiation and speed,” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume was quoted as saying. This will lead the next wave of electric vehicles from Volkswagen with a host of technological advances, such as 800-volt electrical architecture that will enable charging levels significantly above the 125 kW currently supported by the group’s MEB platform.
Cars built on the SSP architecture will be able to take a 10-80 recharge in as little as 12 minutes, compared to the current MEB-based models which require around 35 minutes for topping up to the same state of charge, Autocar wrote.
The new platform and its software stack have been designed to support Level 4 autonomous driving capability (defnitions of the levels here), which means the possibility of hands-free driving where laws permit.
The SSP had been planned for start of production in 2026 but has been delayed, and Volkswagen is prioritising affordability for the Golf, given its position as one of the world’s best-selling cars. As such, the Mk9 Golf is expected to be priced closer to the Mk8 than the ID 3, says Autocar.
Schäfer says the current ID 3 is “more a Golf Plus” than an electric version of the overall Golf range, which means that the ID 3 would not necessarily be retired once the all-electric Mk9 Golf arrives, and as such may continue alongside the new car.
The ID 3 may eventually be merged with the Golf, though the decision is “not 100% clear”, says Schäfer, adding that the ID3 nameplate could carry on for another generation, though not necessarily in the same role.
For the interim, the MEB+ is an updated version of the platform which will support charging levels ranging from 175 kW to 200 kW, utilising a new generation of unit-cell batteries which will offer up to 700 km of range. This will form the basis of 10 new Volkswagen EVs which are to be launched by 2026, the carmaker revealed last December.
Meanwhile, the future sub-Golf segment model has been previewed by the ID. GTI concept, recently revealed to be a Polo-sized hatchback that is built on the smaller MEB Entry platform.
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