Good Friday, March 29th, marked a very significant day in the history of car maker Volkswagen as it was exactly 50 years on from the day that series production of the Golf started in Wolfsburg in 1974. Since that day there have been eight different incarnations of the Golf and cars with the Golf name have sold more than 37 million units worldwide. 

To put this in context, the iconic VW Beetle sold 23 million units in its history. On average 2000 Golfs have been sold every day since it was first introduced. 20 Million Golfs have been produced at the VW factory at Wolfsburg in Germany, with other built Belgium, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Slovakia and South Africa. 

The Mark I Golf was designed as the successor to the Beetle by Giorgio Giugiaro and Volkswagen Design. It had to be compact, economical and practical and managed to tick all of those boxes, selling 6.9 million units up to 1983. 

The Mark I was a hard act to follow, but VW succeeded by keeping the Golf DNA, but updating the design and technology.  The Golf II introduced concepts such as the controlled catalytic converter, ABS and all-wheel drive and sold 6.3 million units between 1983 and 1991.

Since 1991 through 6 different model versions, the Golf has progressed in terms of safety, comfort, performance and reduced emissions, introducing many pioneering technologies, but always retaining the unique Golf style which has made it so desirable to so many drivers. 

Volkswagen has confirmed that the Golf name will live on for many years into the future, with an all electric version scheduled for launch in 2028, including an E-version of the hugely popular GTI model.