Volkswagen Golf Plus

The Volkswagen Golf, commonly referred to as simply the VW Golf, (Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico), is a compact car/small family car manufactured by Volkswagen. The front-wheel drive Golf was Volkswagen’s first successful replacement for the air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. Historically, it is Volkswagen’s best-selling model and the world’s third best-selling model, with more than 25 million built by 2007.
Most production of the Golf has been in the 3-door hatchback style . Other variants include a 5-door hatchback, station wagon (estate / Variant, from 1993), convertible (Cabrio, 1979-2002), and a Golf-derived notchback saloon (sedan), variously called Volkswagen Jetta, Vento or Bora (from 1979). The cars have filled many market segments from basic personal cars to high-performance hot hatches.
On its home market, the Golf’s success popularised the use of the hatchback in the C segment of cars and began the entire Golf class.
In May, 1974 Volkswagen presented the first-generation Golf as a modern front wheel drive long-range replacement of the Beetle. Later Golf variations included the Golf GTI (introduced in June, 1976), a Diesel-powered version (from September, 1976), a notchback saloon version called Jetta (from October, 1979), the Cabriolet (from January, 1980) and a Golf-based pickup, the VW Caddy.
In North America, the Golf Mk1 was sold as the Volkswagen Rabbit.
As of 2008, the Golf Mk1 is still being produced in South Africa as the Volkswagen Citi Golf.
August, 1983 saw the introduction of the second-generation Golf Mk2 that slightly grew in terms of wheelbase, exterior and interior dimensions while retaining in somewhat more rounded form the Mk1’s overall look. In 1986, the first Golfs with four wheel drive (called Golf Syncro) appeared.
A Mk2 based second-generation Jetta was unveiled in January, 1984. There was no Mk2-based Cabriolet model; instead, the Mk1 Cabriolet was continued over the Mk2’s entire production run.
The third-generation Golf Mk3 made its home-market début in August, 1991 and again grew slightly in comparison with its immediate predecessor, while its wheelbase remained unchanged.
New engines included the first TDI diesel in a Golf and a narrow-angle 2.8 L V6, called, in VW terminology, a VR6 engine. For the first time ever, a Golf station wagon (Golf Variant) joined the line-up in September, 1993 (although most markets did not receive this model until early 1994), at the same time a completely new Mark 3-derived Cabriolet was introduced, replacing the 13-year-old MK1-based version.
The notchback version, called VW Vento (or Jetta III in North America), was presented in January, 1992.
It was European Car of the Year for 1992.
The Golf Mk4 was first introduced in August, 1997, followed by a notchback version (VW Bora or, in North America, again VW Jetta) in August, 1999 and a new Golf Variant (estate) in March, 1999. There was no Mk4 derived Cabriolet, although the Mk3 Cabriolet received a facelift in early 1998 that comprised bumpers, grille and headlights similar to those of the Mark 4 saloon models. New high-performance models included the Golf R32 introduced in 2002. There was also a 3.2L V6 engined four-wheel drive 4Motion version available, succeeding the Mk3 VR6 which used the same engine but only had front-wheel drive.
As of 2008, certain variants of the Golf/Bora Mk4 are still in production in Brazil and China.
In Germany, the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 was succeeded by the Golf Mk5 in 2003; this model did not reach the North American markets until model year 2006, where it was marketed under the name VW Rabbit, like the Mk1 of thirty years before.