Current Volkswagen Golf may be the last

A fresh report suggests that Volkswagen has scrapped plans for the all-new replacement for the current Volkswagen Golf hatch and wagon due to the rising cost of developing new internal-combustion cars capable of meeting stricter EU7 emissions regulations.

According to German newspaper Welt, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said the final nail in the coffin for the VW Golf is the fact that battery-electric cars will soon be both cheaper to produce and more affordable than conventional petrol or diesel vehicles.

While not explicitly confirming the next Golf has been axed, Volkswagen’s global boss said: “We will have to see whether it is worth developing a new vehicle that does not last the full seven or eight years”, adding that going ahead with a conventional new Mk9 Golf would be “extremely expensive”.

Confirming the current Golf 8 would receive a facelift, Schäfer said the fate of the Golf would be officially decided within the next 12 months.

Another factor making the business case for another traditional Golf more difficult is the fact that within the EU – the Volkswagen Golf’s biggest market – most countries will only permit the sale of new zero-emissions vehicles from 2035.

News that the iconic Volkswagen Golf is now facing the chop, or has already been canned behind the scenes, conflicts with an earlier official announcement back in March 2021 that the Golf will not only be replaced by an all-new model but will be joined by a new generation of the T-Roc, Tiguan and Passat.

It's unlikely the fate of the T-Roc and Tiguan SUVs now also hang in the balance, but it's thought the bigger and more expensive Passat send and wagon will live on as it will be easier to package the huge amount of new emissions equipment needed to pass EU7 limits.

The current Volkswagen Golf 8, which was introduced back in 2019, was originally expected to be sold until 2026, but it's now tipped that its seven-year lifecycle will be stretched out until 2028.

It's not known if the battery-powered Volkswagen ID.3 range will be expand to effectively replace the Golf, but it's thought prices of VW’s smallest EV will be slashed to make it more palatable to traditional Golf customers.

Speaking of pricing, if the Golf does live on Schäfer said the cost of the small German hatch will rise by around €3000-5000 ($A4400-$7300), with that increase being directly related to the after-treatment of exhaust gases to meet EU7 regs.

Some of the new tech needed to clean up exhaust gases include more sophisticated emissions monitoring, multiple pre-heated catalysts and far more advanced particulate filter technology.

Volkswagen has already ruled out a combustion-powered replacement for the long-lived Volkswagen up!, which was axed long ago in Australia but continues to be rebadged for the SEAT and Skoda brands. It will effectively be replaced by a more affordable trio of EVs.

The first, the Cupra UrbanRebel, was previewed in concept form last month.

Based on a shortened version of the MEB EV platform that underpins the ID.3, the smallest front-drive electric model from the Volkswagen Group is set to offered at least in Europe with 166kW of power, a respectable 440km driving range and a starting price of €20,000 ($A30,000).

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