The new Golf's development hasn't exactly been smooth sailing, what with all the software bugs, but Volkswagen is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Originally slated to premiere in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the production-ready I.D. electric hatchback, the official reveal of the immensely popular compact model has been pushed back by about a month.
The folks from Wolfsburg previously said the Golf VIII would still debut before the end of the year despite being delayed, and now "multiple company sources" have told Automotive News Europe the big debut will occur sometime in October. In addition, ANE has it on good authority production of the new Golf at the factory in Wolfsburg will start towards the end of the third quarter.
The same report goes on to mention some of the goodies you will get in the eighth generation of VW's best-selling car. Standard equipment will allegedly include LED headlights, fully digital instrument cluster, lane-keeping assist, and an 8.25-inch touchscreen in the center console. Speaking of which, the infotainment system will support over-the-air updates, a feature which has given VW's software team a lot of headaches during the car's development phase.
As you have probably heard by now, the market launch is programmed for the end of February 2020, with domestic market Germany being the first country to get the Golf VIII. There's a rather wild rumor going on about the more practical Variant being axed, which would consequently mean the death of the rugged Alltrack as well. However, wagons are still fairly popular in Europe and it would probably be a mistake to kill the long-roof version, so it's merely gossip for the time being. One body style is still expected to go the way of the dodo as the three-door Golf is likely not coming back for the eighth generation.
Don't expect a new e-Golf either as its place in VW's lineup will be taken by the aforementioned I.D., while the plug-in hybrid GTE will live to see another generation. As for the hotter GTI and the all-wheel-drive R, both are slated to come out in 2020, with a meaner Golf R Plus featuring close to 400 horsepower rumored to be in the pipeline.
