A Volkswagen Gol in Brazil

Volkswagen Gol in Brazil

The Volkswagen Gol is a subcompact car that has been manufactured by Brazil’s Volkswagen since 1980 as Volkswagen's entry-level car in the Latin American market.

The Gol was the best-selling car in Brazil for 27 consecutive years, from 1987 to 2014, and has been the most popular car in Argentina since 1988; approximately five million Gols have been manufactured in South America since 1980.

First generation (1980-1994)

The Gol was released in 1980 with a design specific to Latin America, the Gol featured the 1.3-liter air-cooled, flat-four engine from the Beetle, but front-mounted. A 1.6-litre engine was added later.

The first generation (or "G1") Gol had two mild facelifts for 1987 and 1991. The 1989 Gol GTi was the first Brazilian-built car to use fuel injection. In 1991, as a result of changes to the tax laws in Brazil, a flurry of cars with engines under one litre appeared. Fiat was first (with the Fiat Mille), and Volkswagen quickly responded with the spartan Gol 1000.

Second generation (1994-2013)

The second generation (or "G2") Gol debuted in September, 1994. It received two facelifts, which include both cosmetic and engine upgrades.

The first upgrade, in 1999 for 2000 model, was known as the Gol G3 in Brazil and had a new VW 'corporate' front end similar to the Jetta/Bora IV. The Gol G3 came with optional airbags and ABS brakes. The previous (G2) Gol 1.0 continued to be available as the "Gol Special", to fight for the lowest end of the market. Following the Mercosul economic crisis beginning with the Brazilian devaluation in 1999, the lineup was reduced in 2002. The 2.0 16V was discontinued, while the 1.8 was withdrawn from some markets. Instead, the engines at the bottom of the lineup were improved, with a 1.0 16V Turbo with a 100 PS 1.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine released in 2000.

In 2005 (G4) Gol was released with styling cues from the Volkswagen Fox. The G4 stayed in production until the beginning of 2013.

Third generation (2008-present)

The third generation of the Gol was released in Brazil, on June 29, 2008. This is the first Gol to have an semi-automatic transmission. In Brazil, it was released in three and five-door hatchback version with the options of 1.0 or 1.6 litre flex engines. Its dimensions are 3.90 m in length, 1.66 m in width, 1.45 m in height with a wheelbase of 2.47 m and luggage capacity of 285 litres.

Volkswagen High Torque (VHT) technology was introduced on the third generation Gol family. This new technology allows the flex engine to get the high torques at lower revs, the engines produce higher torques and horsepower on ethanol fuel.