New details surrounding the next generation Volkswagen Golf have started to emerge.

According to AutoExpress, the compact model will debut at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its launch will coincide with the release of the brand’s I.D. electric vehicle lineup, but despite the EV push, the new Golf will remain a ‘core product’.

“The priority is Golf, because in the next generation it will be our main core product ; and that’s where the focus goes”, Volkswagen’s chief, Herbert Diess, told the British publication. “You might call it once again ‘Das Auto‘, because it is such a good package for a five-seater; it works so well”, Diess added.

As many already suspected, the Volkswagen Golf Mk8’s exterior design won’t be a dramatic departure over the current models, adopting an evolutionary styling. It’s expected to gain sleeker-looking LED headlights, a lower bonnet, squared-off shoulders at the rear, and the ‘Golf’ lettering that will probably sit beneath the ‘VW’ badge on the tailgate, a move inspired by the Arteon.

And while its exterior won’t bring any dramatic changes, the same cannot be said about the interior design, which should get a complete makeover, with digital displays replacing most of the physical buttons. A large central touchscreen will take center stage and most functions of the car will be controlled through it. Finally, the instrument cluster will be replaced by an active info display, a feature that will eventually be carried out across the range.

Underpinning the new Volkswagen Golf will be an updated version of the MQB platform. This will help shed up to 70kg (154lbs) over the current car, allowing it to adopt a wide engine lineup that should include the 1.5-liter turbo’d gasoline unit, and a new 1.5-liter diesel that’s said to replace the current 1.6 TDI.

The car will also feature mild hybrid technology by adopting the 48-volt electric system on some versions, as Diess revealed: “Mild hybrid systems will play a major role in the next generation of the Golf; that will be the first application.”

The plug-in hybrid GTE will live on with the new generation, but the e-Golf won’t, as it will be replaced by an entirely new car that will enter the I.D. family.

GTI and R variants of the Golf will come with a small power boost that will allow them to develop up to 250hp and 350hp, respectively.

Rendering courtesy of RemcoM

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