A high-ranking Volkswagen executive has hinted the Golf nameplate could be killed off after the ninth generation of the hatchback.

Jürgen Stackmann, member of the VW brand's board responsible for sales, marketing and after sales, suggested to Auto Express the Golf badge would not have a future alongside the fully electric ID family ... in some markets, at least.

The executive said the Golf would “probably not” be offered alongside an equivalent ID-badged model in markets that ended up banning internal combustion engines.

“Because you would probably be a very happy ID.3 owner and we’d be very happy as well,” he said.

Still, Stackmann said he expected the new Golf 8 to be succeeded by a ninth generation of the nameplate.

“I am convinced that you will see Golf 9 coming. As ‘Golf’ and probably with the boundaries that we have now introduced,” he told the publication.

“I think Golf will have a lot of interesting technologies until the boundary of full electric. The fully electric ID goes into the ID family and that decision is of a divide within the family.

“So, for full electric, we want to have optimised platforms doing just electric and they will be called ID for the future.”

Stackmann furthermore suggested the global shift to all-electric vehicles would be a gradual one, allowing the Golf badge to live a little longer in certain markets.

“Golf will remain as a strong effort of the brand in many places and I believe in Europe as well, but in many places outside Europe where they probably don’t have the capacity to go full electric so fast,” said Stackmann.

“So I’m convinced that we will see a parallel run of Golf 9 and ID next generation.”

“What technology Golf 9 will bring, we will see. It will again be leading edge as we are now seeing with Golf 8. Whenever we come with next-generation Golf it will be a mark for the rest of the industry to beat for the next five or six years to come.”

Original article from Car