Photo credit: Volkswagen
VW is planning to remove the manual transmission option from every Golf model, including the GTI until the mid-life refresh of the cutting-edge Mk8 vehicle occurs in 2024. Kai Grünitz, head of technological development at Volkswagen, told Autocar that the manual would be eliminated to help the carmaker comply with the challenging new Euro 7 emissions regulations.
“With the next generation of the Golf, there will not be one with a manual gearshift,” he told the magazine, though the magazine reports that VW could change its mind if changes are made to the draft Euro 7 rules before the legislation is cemented into law.
The law, often known as the “Euro 7 emissions rules,” controls the carbon dioxide emissions that come from combustion-engined cars. Volkswagen claims that the Golf GTI with a manual transmission emits 162 g/km of CO2 as opposed to 160 g/km for the variant with an automated transmission. Although it’s a very minor distinction, it has a big impact on the automaker’s emissions targets.
A Golf with an automatic transmission costs approximately 1,500 euros ($1,642 USD) more than a manual transmission car in Europe. The cost of a Golf GTI, which starts at almost $31,000 (including destination fee), may make that sum seem insignificant. For some people, the change—which terminates the original hot hatch with a manual gearbox’s nearly 50-year run—is more significant than just the additional expense.
The story doesn’t mention whether the North American versions of the Golf, which are not subject to European emissions standards, would also lose their manual options, but it only seems likely from a manufacturing perspective. The most efficient Golf variants offered in the US are the GTI and R, which sold a combined 8,423 units in 2022. Although the difference in CO2 emissions between manual and dual-clutch Golfs may be as small as 2 g/km, when considering hundreds of thousands of Golfs, this can still have a significant impact on fleet average emissions. Numerous companies, including Volkswagen, want to stop producing manual transmissions. No of how the law turns out, the shift might occur sooner rather than later as there isn’t a planned ICE version of the next Golf.
GTI
The first GTI made its debut in 1975 as the Mk1 Golf’s high-performance variant. It came with a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission at first, but in 1979 it got a five-speed gearbox. When it finally made it to America in 1983, it had undergone a lot of advancements. It was speedy for the time with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder modest 110 horsepower, cruising from 0 to 60 mph in 9.0 seconds and reaching a high speed of 113 mph.
Sunrise Volkswagen
It is sad to see a period of history coming to a close, but as a new age is beginning, there is new excitement in its wake. When one door closes, another one opens, as the saying goes. Volkswagen is always reinventing and only brings the best to its customers. Come on into Sunrise VW and see their work up close.
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Terry is an avid Nascar fan who grew up attending races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, just down the road from his hometown of China Grove, NC. Terry currently resides in Wellington and has been writing for 15 years. He also enjoys watching the Road Runner Looney Tunes cartoon with his two sons in his spare time.