There might be no Volkswagen Golf Mk9, company CEO warns

Per Volkswagen AG CEO Thomas Schaefer, the next generation of the Golf hatchback might end up not viable for the company to produce in the era of strict environmental laws and retiring combustion engines.

It is only going to be a few years until the Euro-7 standard is adopted throughout Europe. According to Schaefer, it will automatically add €3,000–€5,000 to the retail prices of all ICE cars. The expenses of developing new IC engines will be hard to justify in this economy, leading to companies ditching their “small and affordable” market offers. Those few compact ICE cars that will remain on sale will come precariously close to the pricing currently associated with much larger and more expensive models.

As if the above weren’t enough, the EU is still determined to put a ban on new ICE car sales starting from 2035. Select countries are willing to accelerate the transition process and ban them as soon as 2030 or so. The ninth generation of the gas-powered Golf, even if it does arrive, will likely not have enough time to enjoy a normal car’s lifecycle until it has to leave for good. Discontinuing a model like this prematurely incurs losses on the manufacturer, Schaefer pointed out.

Will there be no Golf IX, then? The automaker promises to give us a definitive answer within a year. Right now, a facelift is being planned for the Golf VIII, which is slated to arrive in a year or two and stay on sale until 2027 or 2028.