Volkswagen launched the Volkswagen Golf in 1974 as the successor to the rear-engined Beetle.
The Golf represented a major technical change for the German company. Instead of the Beetle’s rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and rear-wheel drive, the new compact car used a front-mounted engine and front-wheel drive. Its practical two-box hatchback shape was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
The first-generation Golf, known internally as the Type 17, entered production in 1974. It quickly became central to Volkswagen’s international range and helped establish the modern European family hatchback formula. The model was sold under the Rabbit name in some markets, including the United States and Canada.
The Golf was not the world’s first hatchback, and the Beetle did not disappear immediately when it arrived. However, the Golf became one of Europe’s most influential compact cars. Later generations added diesel engines, performance versions such as the GTI, and increasingly sophisticated safety and comfort equipment.