Volkswagen once again answers that question as it readies customers to request a Golf when they visit showrooms this fall.
It all began in 1974
1975 Rabbit (photo courtesy of VWoA)
In order to sort through all the generations and name changes, it’s best to start at the beginning which, for the Rabbit/Golf, began in 1974. For 1974, you see, marked not only the genesis of what was to become the C-segment platform for VW, it also marked the beginning of the company’s decision to market the vehicle under a different name in the United States. In Germany and the rest of Europe, it was called a Golf, while in the U.S. (possibly for reasons linking the word to the Mark Twain quote “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”) it was called a Rabbit – complete with a cute bunny logo on it’s behind.
1985 Golf (photo courtesy VWoA)
It’s a Golf for 1985
Sales of the first generation model went well for a while, but eventually succumbed to the onslaught of less expensive Japanese and domestic models. In 1985, the company introduced the second generation Mark II while switching the name to “Golf.”
1999 Mk4 Golf
The Mk3 third generation was introduced in the U.S. in 1994 and the Mk4 fourth generation reached our shores in 1999 and both versions soldiered on under the Golf nameplate.
Mk5 GTI
Back to the Rabbit
The Mk5 fifth generation model marked 32 years for VW’s C-segment car as well as, guess what, a name change that required Volkswagen salesmen to, once again, go back over their sales pitch by embracing the warm and fuzzy image of a Rabbit.
2010 GTI
To quote Ronald Reagan, “There you go again!”
It is now 2009. The Rabbit/Golf has been around for 35 years. To mark its 36th model year and sixth generation, VW has decided to, once again, change the name back to “Golf.” The latest press release from the company gives this reasoning for the decision:
“The Golf is an iconic nameplate for the Volkswagen Brand and it is known throughout the world,” said Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “The Golf is Volkswagen’s best selling global nameplate with more than 26 million units sold in over 120 countries.”
“Making the change back to Golf is an important step in realigning with our global heritage” Barnes added.
What’s in a name?
According to Shakespeare, “That which we call a rose By ay other name would smell as sweet.” Here at LotPro.com, that means that as long as VW continues to build sweet rides like the Golf, GTI, Jetta and GLI, we really don’t care what they’re called.
