Updated VW Golf 8 GTI to boast AI tech

In 2024 the Volkswagen Golf nameplate celebrates its 50th birthday.

South African consumers have a special relationship with the moniker, especially thanks to products like the Citi, which kept the spirit of the original first generation alive long after its run had stopped abroad.

Our market’s strong affinity for the GTI acronym was also cemented by the Golf and its performance iteration.

With the Golf 8, Volkswagen SA (VWSA) opted to forego the regular versions, offering the GTI and R exclusively. That meant faithful customers of garden variety Golf specimens had to either upgrade into the T-Roc, Tiguan or consider smaller options such as the Taigo, T-Cross or Polo.

VWSA ought to consider bringing in the standard versions of the Golf in time when it launches the 8.5 locally. At the recent 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the brand previewed its updated 8.5 in GTI format.

The biggest talking point – which will also apply to the ID electric range as well as the new Passat and Tiguan – is the adoption of an infotainment system that incorporates the artificial-intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT.

The feature ties in with the Volkswagen voice-activated assistant dubbed IDA and is enabled by Cerence Chat Pro, technology partner to the brand.

According to Volkswagen, the capability offered is far more advanced than the conventional voice control that buyers have grown accustomed to.

In addition to controlling functions such as navigation and air conditioning, users will also be able to ask the system general knowledge questions.

Volkswagen said that in the future, the AI assistant would advance to the level of being able to have “enriching conversations” with users.

The brand punted ease-of-use with the new system, adding that owners will not need to create an account or provide personal details in order to benefit from the ChatGPT-reliant functionality.

It also allayed concerns around privacy.

“ChatGPT does not gain access to any vehicle data; questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure the highest possible level of data protection,” said Volkswagen in its release.

“Volkswagen has always democratised technology and made it accessible to the many, this is simply ingrained in our DNA, as a result, we are now the first volume manufacturer to make this innovative technology a standard feature in vehicles from the compact segment upwards.”

More conventionally, new Volkswagen buyers could look forward to the return of traditional buttons and dials over the capacitive surfaces of before.

This comes after mounting criticisms over the user-unfriendliness of its screen-intensive interfaces, from owners and automotive media.

VWSA is yet to confirm when the 8.5 GTI is arriving, when it plans to launch its electric ID range, whether it will give us normal Golf derivatives and how soon local customers can expect new AI technologies in forthcoming Volkswagen releases.