Eighth-Generation VW Golf Said to Arrive in 2017, Just Five Years after Golf Mk7

If you thought the short life cycle of the VW Golf 6 was an accident, you might want to reconsider, as VW is reportedly preparing an all-new Golf for 2017. That’s less than five years after the launch of the seventh-generation Golf, which arrived in European dealerships in November 2012.

According to German magazine AMS, the new Golf will have a very different look compared to the current model, being lower and wider as well as sporting restyled front and rear lights.

The VW Golf Mk8 is also said to introduce new safety features, including automatic parking and automatic braking with pedestrian recognition – the latter also available in the new Passat which goes on sale later this year.

The eighth-generation Golf will get infotainment features from the Passat, including a head-up display system and Mirror-Link, which lets drivers use smartphone apps via the car’s touchscreen display. Like the current model, the Golf Mk8 will use VW’s MQB modular platform.

The new car is expected to shed about 50 kg (110 lbs) and to get greener engines, including a 3-cylinder diesel unit from the VW Polo, as the carmaker needs to to meet the EU fleet average target of 95 grams of CO2.

Note: VW GTI Roadster study pictured

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