Volkswagen’s Citi Golf is on track for its best year yet, with more than 30Â 000 units being sold in this, its 32nd year of production.
Toyota’s Tazz has reached the end of the road, and Nissan’s 1400 pickup is due to be phased out within a year. However, the last of the trio of budget vehicles with roots in the Seventies and Eighties, Volkswagen’s Citi Golf, is still around, and VW says that it will be for some time yet.
Because all City Golfs are now fuel injected, the manufacturers have no problem conforming with the tight emission-control standards mandated in South Africa from the end of 2007 — the same standards that brought about the demise of the Nissan 1400 and the Toyota Tazz.
Since its launch as the replacement for the VW Beetle in 1974, the Golf has been in continuous production, although, like the claimed examples of George Washington’s original axe, it’s had a few new handles and a couple of new blades along the way. The original GTI, launched in 1976, was the world’s first hot-hatch, and long after the rest of the planet had moved on to Golf 2, Golf 3, Golf 4 and Golf 5, the original hatch kept selling in South Africa as the Citi Golf.
Over the years, different surveys have the Citi consistently performing well for those on a budget. The most recent Kinsey Report, the benchmark of car parts pricing comparisons, has the Citi’s basket of parts costing 17,42% less than its closest rival, an advantage it has maintained for the past two years. Research has also shown that resale is good for the little VW.
After more than 30 years of production in Golf 1 and Citi Golf guises, the Italian-designed little hatch is now on track to sell more than 30Â 000 units in South Africa in 2006 — an all-time record for the car. Not bad for a constantly revamped 32-year-old design!
Volkswagen’s sales and marketing director, Mike Glendinning, says: “Citi Golf is an ongoing success story for the entry-level market in South Africa. The Citi is able to maintain its advantage due to its low maintenance costs and excellent resale values. Last year it claimed a 20% share in its segment and the best sales in its history. This will be eclipsed by the end of 2006.”
The current retail price of the Citi starts at R68Â 460, which is rather expensive for a 32-year-old design. While under pressure from far more modern budget-level competitors such as the Hyundai Atoz, the Chevy Spark and the Kia Picanto, the Golf soldiers on, with sales seemingly unaffected.