The Australian launch of the Golf 6 will happen next week, at a function to be held at Byron Bay in front of the motoring press.
VW Australia have borrowed pristine examples of Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4 Golfs from Club Veedub members and these will be lined up as part of the promo. I donated my Mk3 GL Golf and provided VWA with historical data and specs on the previous models. By way of thanks, VWA offered me a choice of a new Eos, R36 Passat or R50 Touareg to drive for a week - I chose the Eos. Brilliant!
2008 was a record year for Golf sales in Australia - VWA sold 11,632 of them, an improvement over the 2007 total of 10,982. The Golf is now only the second VW model to have ever sold 10,000+ per year in Australia twice. The VW 1300 only did it once - 10,550 in 1967 - and the VW 1600 also - 10,090 in 1971. The VW 1200 did it 9 times, from 1957 to 1965 inclusive.
The Golf's 2008 total is VW's highest-selling individual model in Australia since 18,077 VW 1200s were sold in 1965. The Golf's best sales figure in the 1970s was only 4,429 in 1976.
Australian Golf sales, since debut in 1976, have now totalled 91,719 to the end of December 2008. Therefore, the 100,000th Australian Golf is due in September this year. There will a Club Veedub event to celebrate this - stay tuned.
Yeah, after driving a '64 Beetle for 20 years, then the '74 Kombi for another 8, it was a quite a learning experience when I bought the '95 Golf last year. It seemed like a new car - but not any more. The Eos is just amazing. It's like a flying christmas tree - all the lights, bells and whistles, I still don't know what half the switches do. But it's beautiful.
The TDI is way faster than my old souped-up Beetle ever was, using half the fuel, and it pulls strongly and effortlessly from idle. The 6-speed manual box is a delight. And the brakes - I nearly went through the windscreen the first time I stepped on them.
I love old VWs and always will - but owning a newer VW as well seems the best of all possible worlds.
Sydney is beautiful and sunny today after a week of rain - can't wait to take the Eos for a top down drive on the weekend.
One of the things I have always appreciated with the Golf is the way the styling has evolved but still displays its roots and hints of the previous generations. One could say the styling is very conservative but I think it is also fresh and up to date.
Yes the crisp lines, the unfussy nose, the front-rear balance, the thick C-pillar - what else could it be but a Golf.
The other thing about the upcoming Golf 6 is that they will be sourced from Germany, rather than South Africa as they are at the moment. Jettas will now come from South Africa, rather than Mexico.
I love old VWs and always will - but owning a newer VW as well seems the best of all possible worlds.
Spot on! I felt the same way when I got a mk4 Golf. Sadly I sold it to get a mortgage, but I still got my trusty beetle.
Do you know if they will continue supplying the mk5 for a while or are they going to stop it completely when this comes out?
Wondering because of what happened in Canada with the mk4 & mk5.
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...
No photos with me at work, but I'll post some when I get home. In fact, I will post photos of the nice Mk1, Mk2 and Mk4 Golfs that were also loaned by club members to VW for the release.
As far as I know, we are getting the same range of engines and gearboxes in the Mk6 as we currently get with the Mk5. Probably not straight away though - it will take a few months for all the variations to settle in - remember the Tiguan was only available in diesel for months before the petrol appeared. I am sure the DSG will be available - it is very popular with current VWs and they would be mad to drop it. There IS a gap with the Polo - you still can't get an auto version of the TDI diesel Polo, which is an oversight. Yes, we are getting the GTI Mk6, but not until later in the year. I don't know about the R32 - I don't think it has been built yet.
Yes there will be a changeover period, while the last of the Mk5s are sold. It would be a good time to pick up a bargain.
What is even better with the EOS you are driving is that you can get a little box fitted that allows you to work the roof while driving along at up to 60kmh. It means you can put the roof up if it starts to rain without having to stop. Most of the rain goes over when you are moving but when you stop, that is another matter.
