The first official image of the ninth-generation Volkswagen Golf has been released, and it is set to be offered predominantly with electric power.

The silhouette image, released by German trade union IG Metall, was presented to Volkswagen workers on Wednesday during a meeting that reiterated the brand’s commitment to the Wolfsburg factory, which will continue to build the Golf. 

It reveals key changes compared with the design of today’s Golf 8.5, including a more prominent roof spoiler and a bluff rear end. These tweaks are likely aimed at improving the car’s aerodynamic performance, key to improving an electric car’s efficiency and therefore its maximum range. Autocar understands it will launch in 2028.

Moving the wheels further outboard should also free up additional interior space. 

The final design, VW Group design chief Andreas Mindt previously suggested, will draw on the brand’s incoming range of affordable electric cars: the ID Polo, ID Cross and the production version of the ID 1.

The next-generation Golf is due in 2028 and it is set to be the first VW based on the company’s new SSP architecture. This will use an 800V electrical architecture and more advanced battery technology, boosting range and improving charge rates.

A combustion-engined Golf will continue to be offered alongside the new EV, although this will be a heavily updated version of the current model. Its design will be revised to more closely match that of the EV, and it is expected to employ a range of hybrid powertrains.

The EV is expected to be named ID Golf to clearly differentiate the two versions, in keeping with the ID Polo.