A refreshed Volkswagen Golf is due out in 2024. As a mid-cycle update, the changes are expected to include a facelift and a revised interior. However, depending on the outcome of new European legislation, the most radical change could be the elimination of its manual gearbox.
The legislation, known as the Euro 7 emissions rules, regulate carbon dioxide emissions from combustion-engined vehicles. According to Volkswagen, the manual transmission Golf GTI produces 162g/km of CO2 compared to 160g/km for the automatic version. It's a very slight difference but significantly impacts the automaker's emissions quotas.
