The Volkswagen Golf is a hatchback / small family car manufactured by Volkswagen
since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations
and under various nameplates - as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United
States and Canada (Mk1 and Mk5), and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico (Mk1).
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.[1]
Most production of the Golf was initially in
the 3-door hatchback style.[2] Other variants include a 5-door hatchback, estate/wagon
(Variant, from 1993), convertible (Cabriolet and Cabrio, 1979-2002), and
a Golf-derived notchback saloon/sedan, variously called Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen
Vento or Volkswagen Bora (from 1979). The cars have filled many market
segments, from basic personal cars, to high-performance hot hatches.
The
nameplate Golf derives from the German word for Gulf Stream — and the period
in its history when VW named vehicles after prominent winds, including also
the Passat (after the German word for Trade wind, Jetta (after Jet stream), Bora
(after Bora) and Scirocco (after Sirocco).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
