100,000th Volkswagen Golf Sold in Australia

BOTANY, AUSTRALIA - July 14, 2009: The Volkswagen brand has just reached a significant milestone on the Australian market with the sale of the 100,000th Golf since the initial model introduction. The celebratory new Golf 118TSI was handed over to its proud owner, Mark Hall, by Solitaire Volkswagen Hawthorn in Adelaide.

Judging by the humble beginnings of the MkI in 1976, which then was assembled locally in Clayton, Victoria, nobody could have preempted the significance of this truly iconic model. Wheels Magazine recognized the significance of the Golf when it was named Wheel’s Car of the Year in 1976 - 4,429 Golfs were sold that year.

The first ever Golf MkI to be registered in Australia still is in the hands of its original owner, who himself was part of Volkswagen’s history. Mr Dirk Goudberg was employed as Quality Control Manager at the Volkswagen plant in Clayton, Victoria, from 1958 until 1976. His vehicle was amongst the first six Golfs to be exported to Australia in individual components to be assembled locally. The vehicle itself was completed locally in late 1974 and registered in 1975 as the first Golf in Australia.

In 1983 the Golf MkII replaced the ‘original’ Golf with global production of 6.3 million MkII Golfs between 1983 and 1991. The Golf MkIII went on sale in 1994 and for the first time since the MkI a diesel variant in the Golf range returned to the Australian market in 1996. 1998 saw the introduction of the Golf MkIV.

2004 was marked by the 500,000th Volkswagen sold in Australia as well as the Golf MkV release in Australia. The MkV was awarded a range of significant awards by the Australian motoring media in its days. The Golf GTI was awarded the NRMA ‘Best Car Awards’ for Best Sports Car in 2007 while just missing out winning the second year in a row when it was marginally beaten by the Golf R32 in 2008. 2008 also saw the Golf GTI win the‘DRIVE Car of the Year Award’ for the third consecutive year.

To date, the Golf has turned out to be a selling success with more than 26 million Golfs produced globally since the initial days of the Golf MkI.

The next chapter in the Golf’s journey has only just begun with the introduction of the new Golf into the Australian market in March 2009. This model is regarded as the most economical, safe and refined Golf yet and promises to be another Volkswagen success story in the making. In its short time on the market, it has already been honoured as the “2009 World Car of the Year”.