Opinion – Eduardo Sodré: Volkswagen Gol stops being produced in December to make way for the Polo Track

After 42 years on the market and around 9 million units produced, the Volkswagen Gol will be retired in December. The news was confirmed by the automaker, which has already started production of the successor, called Polo Track.

It is the natural and late evolution. The forty-year-old model has changed little in the last 10 years, surviving on the market thanks to purchases made by rental companies and other fleets. But his charisma is undeniable.

Throughout its history, Gol inhabited the consumer dreams of different generations with the acronyms GT, GTS and GTI, but without losing its “popularity index”. Basic options helped the model remain the country’s best-selling car for 27 years.

The Last Edition version, which will mark the departure of the compact, brings together these extremes of sportiness and simplicity. While the reddish color and the props refer to the most angry models in the line, the engine must be the same 1.0 available in the entry configurations.

For now, Volkswagen only released some images of its latest Gol and confirmed that only 1,000 units will be produced. The car is already being distributed to the dealership network, and the launch should take place in November.

It will be the end of a story that, for the consumer, began in May 1980. The Gol debuted with an air-cooled 1.3-liter gasoline engine (42 hp). It was the result of the BX project, started in the mid-1970s.

However, it lacked power, a problem that was alleviated with the arrival of the 1.6 engine (51 hp). The change took place in early 1981, and soon after came the Voyage sedan – which had another engine, the 1.5-liter water-cooled used in the Passat.

The family was complemented with the arrival of the Parati station wagon and the Saveiro pickup, but it was up to Gol to accumulate the largest number of iconic models, while keeping the body square and undergoing major mechanical changes.

The 1.8 GT version debuted in 1984, while the GTS came in 1987. However, the most famous and valued is the first generation GTI, presented at the end of 1988. It was with it that electronic fuel injection arrived in Brazilian cars.

The originality was repeated in 2003, when the Gol 1.6 Total Flex debuted the technology that allows the use of ethanol or gasoline. Since then, Volkswagen’s compact has not presented a major novelty to the market.

The current generation has kept the basics since 2008, which shows that it’s time for a change.

Like the Gol, the Polo Track is assembled in Taubaté (São Paulo countryside). It’s basically the already known Polo, but with simplifications to cost less. The price starts at R$ 80,000, and the look does not follow the touches made in the other options, presented in October.

The new version is equipped with four airbags, stability control, electrically assisted steering and air conditioning, among other items. The 1.0 flex engine has three cylinders and 84 hp of power.

This will be Volkswagen do Brasil’s new entry-level car, and the only one to get Gol out of that position. Fox and Up! were launched with this mission, but arrived and left without seeing the last Goal cross the gates of the Taubaté factory.