It’s long been announced, but the first official image of the next Golf is still bound to draw plenty of attention. After all, we’re still talking about Germany’s best-selling car. At a company meeting this week in Wolfsburg, Volkswagen showed the Golf 9 in silhouette form.
Even in this teaser, it’s clear the next Golf will closely resemble the current model, and even the Golf 7 before it. That means VW design boss Andreas Mindt is taking a similar approach to what we’ve already seen with the Polo. There are production parallels, too: the internal-combustion Golf is set to be built in Mexico starting in 2027, while the gas-powered Polo is now rolling off the line in South Africa.
Apparently, VW is no longer pursuing a two-track strategy with completely different cars for gas and electric power, as it did with the ID.3. That model won’t be replaced until 2028 at the earliest by the now-teased ID. Golf, which also won’t look as radically different from the continuing gas-powered Golf. Volkswagen has already hinted that the combustion Golf could remain in production for a long time. That could mean a more substantial facelift arriving around the ID. Golf’s launch.
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Source: Volkswagen
A similar strategy is already taking shape with the Polo. In late April 2026, the ID. Polo is set to debut in its final form. Prototypes already show a design that doesn’t stray too far from today’s gas-powered Polo. Traditional styling cues, such as the wide C-pillars, are meant to provide the eye with familiar reference points.
The same goes for the interior, where VW says it’s moving away from the overreliance on touchscreens. In the future, there will be real buttons on the steering wheel and center console again. Another special ingredient: a selectable retro mode for the digital gauges and touchscreen styled after the original Golf Mk1. That gimmick could also make its way into the ID. Golf. We’ll see. Before that, the production version of the small ID. Every1 arrives in 2027, possibly as an ID. Up.
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