RE: New Golf GTI: too little, too late?
Thursday 28th February 2013
The arrival of a new Golf GTI is an important event, you might think. The quintessential practical performance car returns in June with either 220hp or 230hp depending on the version with prices starting at roughly the same as the old one. With a useful 6.5 seconds to 62mph and a claimed 47mpg, it ticks all the right boxes on the way to certain sales glory.
Over a quarter of Mk1 Golf sales were GTIsOr maybe not. In the showroom stakes, the GTI is a shadow of its former self. Last year VW shifted just 1,770 of them according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, or 3.2 per cent of total Golf sales.
Mk4: critical flop but a huge sales successSo why is this? Okay, last year was a run-out for the Mk6, but that doesn't explain it given the paucity of competition. There was no Ford Focus ST for example and the Vauxhall Astra VXR arrived late. Last year's GTI numbers actually beat 2010 sales.
Mk5 got rave reviews but sales relatively modestWith the new car starting from £25,845, perhaps it's all got a bit too expensive and that hot hatch enjoyment now lies in the affordability of the old cars. How about a mint-looking Mk1 GTI 1.8 in Lhasa Green for £5,995? Or maybe it's time for a reassessment of the Mk4 - the 150bhp 1.8T rather than the 2.0 of course. This unmolested, low-mileage car from 2001 here is a tempting £2,850.
New Golf GTI: too little, too late?
New GTI announced but can it ever live up to the sales glories of hot Golfs past?
Over a quarter of Mk1 Golf sales were GTIs
That's a far cry from the glory days. Following its right-hand drive launch here in 1979, the Mk1 GTI climbed into UK car buyers' affections so steadily that by 1983, just over 25 per cent of all Golf sales were GTIs, according to figures from VW. That equated to more than 6,000 sales.
Same went for the Mk2. The big year was 1989, ahead of the pre-big bumper, when 30 per cent of all new Golfs wore the GTI badge.
Enthusiasm waned with the Mk3 but this next stat will surprise you. The now-reviled Mk4 was a big hit, with a whopping 17,557 GTIs sold in 1999, or 29 per cent of the total. The following year that rose to 30 per cent, even if sales were down a bit. Of course the Mk5 restored pride to the badge in 2005, but even in that first year with all the review praise it accounted for just nine per cent of Golf sales.
Mk4: critical flop but a huge sales success
More likely is competition within VW, what with the R, the GTD diesel and the Scirocco all competing. And the hot hatch market itself had deflated massively. Amazingly, the Golf GTI was actually the biggest seller among the mass-market players, even taking into account all the supermini rockets such as the Polo GTI and Abarth 500. The Renault Megane Renaultsport achieved a measly 306 sales.
Mk5 got rave reviews but sales relatively modest
VW has done all the right things with the new car, such stripping weight and adding a pioneering electronically controlled active limited-slip diff. But it could be all too late to apply the paddles to an ailing hot hatch market.
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Discussion
I think the key factor here is the rising cost of insurance, not of the cars themselves. The hot hatch is the natural preserve of the young, who now can't afford the insurance costs.
Astonished at how few hatches are actually sold, though. 306 Renaultsport Meganes? It does put things like Lotus sales into a different context.
Astonished at how few hatches are actually sold, though. 306 Renaultsport Meganes? It does put things like Lotus sales into a different context.
Interesting article.
The point that struck me was the fact that only 3.2% of Golf sales are GTI's.
This is the crux of the matter. PH is an enthusiasts site, so there is natural selection of a like minded group here, but the reality is that "people like us" are a tiny minority.
VW still makes the GTI because it is a good image builder and because they know the media will write about it. But it is sad state of affairs when sporting cars are being produced more for the press attention and "halo effect" it will provide on the rest of the range, rather than actual justification in sales.
GTI's could die off today with no car maker ever making any in the future, and the financial impact on the car companies would be negligible.
And with the number of young people even bothering to take their test falling quite dramatically, this state of affairs is not likely to improve.
We are a dying group !!
The point that struck me was the fact that only 3.2% of Golf sales are GTI's.
This is the crux of the matter. PH is an enthusiasts site, so there is natural selection of a like minded group here, but the reality is that "people like us" are a tiny minority.
VW still makes the GTI because it is a good image builder and because they know the media will write about it. But it is sad state of affairs when sporting cars are being produced more for the press attention and "halo effect" it will provide on the rest of the range, rather than actual justification in sales.
GTI's could die off today with no car maker ever making any in the future, and the financial impact on the car companies would be negligible.
And with the number of young people even bothering to take their test falling quite dramatically, this state of affairs is not likely to improve.
We are a dying group !!
marlons69 said:
"Same went for the Mk2. The big year was 1989, ahead of the pre-big bumper, when 30 per cent of all new Golfs wore the GTI badge."
Can someone please explain what mkII golf came ahaead of of the "pre-big bumper"...?
The "big bumper" was part of a facelift in August 1989. Can someone please explain what mkII golf came ahaead of of the "pre-big bumper"...?
Mk1 was a game changer for hot hatches and they were over engineered which shows now as there are more of them on the road than any other car from that era. First car I had was an X reg 1.6 GTi and I loved every minute of ownership, the ease of how it could become a tripod was very impressive 
Then I owned a MK2 16V (Valver) and that was just awesome. The engine and handling were exquisite. I would still drive a well looked after one now and that includes something like a campaign model Mk1.
After that the rest is just a sad story of over bloated iterations that unfortunately have left me very underwhelmed. The need to introduce an R32 model from Mk4 says alot and as good as a car that the R32 is I feel that the GTi's could have been better. The best of recent GTi's was the Mk5 imo but it still leaft me feeling like that special something from the Mk1 and Mk2 was missing.
Then I owned a MK2 16V (Valver) and that was just awesome. The engine and handling were exquisite. I would still drive a well looked after one now and that includes something like a campaign model Mk1.
After that the rest is just a sad story of over bloated iterations that unfortunately have left me very underwhelmed. The need to introduce an R32 model from Mk4 says alot and as good as a car that the R32 is I feel that the GTi's could have been better. The best of recent GTi's was the Mk5 imo but it still leaft me feeling like that special something from the Mk1 and Mk2 was missing.
I've never really been attracted by the golf, don't know why. They've virtually all lost their way trying to fill a niche that isn't there anymore. Hot hatches have done what they set out to do years ago. and the MK1 and MK2 should be the end of it. They're just flogging a name now, if you argue heritage and history i think its rather misguided. Go find something else for that price that is actually revolutionary.
Edited by Andy ap on Thursday 28th February 09:17
Andy ap said:
I've never really been attracted by the golf, don't know why. I don't find Either the golf or BM that interesting or most other modern hot hatch's. They've virtually all lost their way trying to fill a niche that isn't there anymore. Hot hatches have done what they set out to do years ago and more importantly i genuinely cant understand why anyone would want to spend that much on one either.
I disagree, the hot hatch market now is very impressive with the like of the ST, Astra VXR and Megane 265. If you put the old hot hatches up against them now it would show you just how far we have come in a relatively small time frame. If it wasn't for the Mk1 and 205 etc we would not have had the push to influence the likes of the current pick. If you want a track car that can be used as an everyday tool then the current Hot hatches tick those boxes and do them both very well.When the Gti was popular in the 80"s and 90"s insurance for over 26 year olds would have been around £500 for fully comp,and the cars were affordable, think they would have been 7k Mk1, 8k Mk2. The saloons from most manufactures at that time were not tempting,so the golf appealed to a wlde range of ages. Nowadays a lot of company cars are 4 door saloons so second hand they make a good deal. i have a 2007 A4, a friend recently bought a 2009 A4,s line for 10k,a paint sprayer mate has got a 2008 3 series M sport d ,he paid 8k for, ,and had a passat before that,he is only 31 years old,the age group the golf GTI is aiming for.The golf GTI is too expensive,by 5 grand,and VW need to subsidise the insurance if they want to sell any.
I have to admit, I really like my GTI (Mk5 Edition 30) but the fuel consumption is average. Best I've seen on a gentle m'way run is 36.5 mpg. 47 mpg seems very optimistic.
A Mk5 GT Sport TDI or Mk6 GTD will most likely be on the cards next, with a mint Mk2 GTI 8V in the garage if the missus allows it...
A Mk5 GT Sport TDI or Mk6 GTD will most likely be on the cards next, with a mint Mk2 GTI 8V in the garage if the missus allows it...
pycraft said:
I think the key factor here is the rising cost of insurance, not of the cars themselves. The hot hatch is the natural preserve of the young, who now can't afford the insurance costs.
So the young have the £25,845 to buy a GTi, they just don't have any more money left for insurance?I'm not sure that's the reason.
Agreed there is clearly a market for them and seeing as i've never had the opportunity to buy a new car. The norm of finance for a new car seems to contrast greatly with the day when cars had to be bought outright and hence my point affordable. Something like 86% of all new cars bought today are financed.... Would you call that affordable. If i was to spend that much on a car id want something special. Golfs in my personal opinion are just 'meh' a shadow of their former self.
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