Volkswagen Golf GTI Turns 50 in 2026 With EDITION 50
Volkswagen leads the world with its most successful compact sports car, the Golf GTI. The Golf GTI still sets the benchmark in its class. Volkswagen has built more than 2.5 million units so far. In 2026, Volkswagen marks 50 years of the Golf GTI with national and international classic events, the exclusive Golf GTI EDITION 50 anniversary model, and the world premiere of the first all-electric GTI.
Volkswagen launched the Golf GTI in 1976 and sparked a success story that no one predicted. The 81 kW (110 PS) car stood out with its red grille surround, black wheel arch extensions, and golf-ball gear knob. Volkswagen planned only 5,000 units. Dealers sold ten times that number in the first year alone. Volkswagen built 461,690 first-generation Golf GTI cars in total.
Drivers loved the unusual package. The Golf GTI delivered precise handling for quiet Alpine passes and gave owners a practical car for every day of the year. It also kept running costs low and became a timeless style icon. Volkswagen set the German price at 13,850 Deutschmarks and hit the sweet spot. Journalists talked about the democratisation of the sports car. The Golf GTI backed it up with pace, too. It reached 182 km/h and sprinted from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.0 seconds, allowing it to outrun many sports cars and coupés that cost at least 10,000 Deutschmarks more.
Volkswagen has carried that DNA for 50 years and continues to refine it for tomorrow. The Golf GTI still combines an agile engine, lightweight front-wheel drive, a balanced chassis, perfectly fitting sports seats and crisp, no-frills design. Volkswagen has developed that blend for five decades and kept the Golf GTI both authentic and original in its class. The fact is: today, when people say GTI, they mean Volkswagen. Volkswagen crowns the 2026 anniversary year with the Golf GTI EDITION 50, its most powerful production Golf GTI so far, with 239 kW (325 PS). Customers can already order the anniversary model in some European markets, and Volkswagen will deliver the first units in 2026. Volkswagen also extends the GTI philosophy across its range, especially with the Polo GTI. In 2026, Volkswagen will launch a new Polo GTI as the ID. Polo GTI. It will deliver 166 kW (226 PS) and bring the GTI philosophy into the electric drive era for the first time.
Volkswagen will also put classic GTI history centre stage at major events in 2026. The celebrations begin in Paris at Rétromobile from 28 January to 1 February. The classic car show at the Port de Versailles celebrates its 50th birthday in 2026, just like the Golf GTI. The Bremen Classic Motorshow starts almost at the same time in the Hanseatic city of Bremen, and it will spotlight the Golf GTI from 30 January to 2 February. Both shows open the European classic season for 2026 and set the pace for the GTI year.