(VW)
It’s no McDonald’s hamburger, but 30 million sold is still something to shout about.
That’s how many Volkswagen Golfs have been produced since the little hatchback went on sale in 1974, the automaker announced today.
Originally intended to replace the Beetle, which continued to be sold until 2003, the Golf is entering is seventh generation this year.
The car was also known as the Rabbit for many years in the USA.
The ceremonial 30 millionth car built was a BlueMotion diesel that’s good for nearly 75 mpg in European fuel economy tests.
The Golf eclipsed the Beetle in sales several years ago. The original People’s Car topped out at just under 22 million units before production ended in Mexico a decade ago.
But the VW sales staff has its work cut out for it if it ever wants to see the Golf at number one of all time.
That title is currently held by the Toyota Corolla at over 40 million sold. Of course, introduced in 1966, it did get a little head start.
But don’t count out the USA. While its original best-seller, the Model T, rang up about 16.5 million sales during its 19-year run, Ford’s F-Series pickup is ahead of the Golf at 32.9 million.
Pound for pound, the compact Corolla is probably behind it, too.