The Golf Is Still a Golf. Is VW Still VW?

By Johannes Roth, CURTH+ROTH

In September 2025, Volkswagen decided to go back. Its electric cars are getting familiar names again. The ID.2 becomes the ID. Polo. The ID.3 is set to be called ID. Golf. Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer says: “Our model names are firmly anchored in people's minds.”

He is right. And yet the brand is going through difficult weeks. Worldwide, the group is recalling around 4.6 million cars. A bolt on the steering gear can corrode. The Golf is affected too. On top of that comes a recall of electric cars over faulty battery cells. At the same time, the group plans to cut around 50,000 more jobs. And it is terminating collective agreements. For the third quarter, it has reported a loss of 5.8 billion euros. Mainly due to a write-down on Porsche.

What does this mean for a brand that is as strong as its Golf?

Recognized by its shape

On March 29, 1974, the first Golf rolled off the line in Wolfsburg. More than 37 million have been built since. Over eight generations, it grew bigger and more digital. Yet every Golf is instantly recognizable. The broad C-pillar. The compact shape. The name. The GTI.

Brand sociology calls this self-similarity. A brand may evolve. But every new form must recognizably grow out of the old one. The Golf is a textbook example. At least from the outside.

Tested by its performance

Self-similarity shows above all in performance. And here there have been breaks.

The Golf 8 looked like a Golf. But it did not feel like one. Touch sliders replaced buttons. Many loyal customers were annoyed. VW responded. The steering wheel has real buttons again. Schäfer calls door handles and buttons “absolutely non-negotiable”. That is a successful return to the core.

The question of price is more open. In 1974, a Golf L with 50 hp cost 8,645 Deutschmarks. In today's purchasing power, that is around 14,700 euros. A new Golf starts at around 30,000 euros. The comparison is imperfect, as ESP, airbags and assistance systems are mandatory today. Still, the Golf was once the car for everyone. Today, others are taking on that role. Škoda, for example. Or the new ID. Polo at under 25,000 euros. What will carry the Golf if it is no longer classless?

Trust is built from within

Trust is fulfilled expectation over time. People fulfill that expectation. They build the car. They sell it. They repair it.

Colin Mitchell described this in Harvard Business Review in 2002. For him, employees are a market of their own. “Equally important”, he writes. Those who do not understand the brand, or do not believe in it, undermine its promise.

Brand research calls this behavioral branding. A brand is built less by what it says than by what its people do. Mitchell asks whether employees understand the brand and believe in it. Behavioral branding asks whether they are able to act on it. On the assembly line, at the dealership, in the workshop.

That is exactly where the mood is tense. VW has terminated several collective agreements as of the end of the year. The IG Metall union expects a fierce dispute. Savings may be necessary. What matters is how they are made. Brands live on the trust of all stakeholders, not just their customers. A brand cannot be more trustworthy on the outside than it is on the inside.

The recall as an acid test

Every manufacturer has recalls. They do not automatically destroy trust. What matters is how they are handled. In the steering recall, some of the new bolts are in short supply. Some customers therefore have to visit the workshop twice. This is where VW can win trust.

1. Reach out first. Write to owners personally. Offer an appointment. Add a pick-up and delivery service or a courtesy car.

2. Treat everyone equally. In the diesel scandal, US customers received up to 10,000 dollars in 2016. In Germany, a settlement only came in 2020, after a collective lawsuit. This time, the generosity should be the same everywhere.

3. Strengthen the dealers. VW is selling through franchised dealers again. That is an opportunity. Those who know their customers need room for goodwill.

Research points to a tension. Proactive recalls hurt the share price more in the short term than reactive ones. For customers, they are better. Anyone who wants trust has to make a choice here.

What this means for brands

The picture is not all dark. In 2025, the Golf was once again Germany's best-selling car. VW took the top three places. Two recalls within a few weeks shape perceptions more than they deserve in the long run.

But brand strength is an advance. It has to be earned again and again. The electric Golf will be the next test. It should be a Golf first. And an electric car second.

This requires clarity on what makes a Golf a Golf. Our hypotheses: reliability, controls that need no thinking, lasting value. And a car that suits everyone. This can be researched. Among customers. And among employees.

Where does trust in your brand stand, inside and out? Write to us, or let's have a no-obligation conversation.

Read more about self-similarity and trust in our series “Brand management 2026”. Why trust matters so much to carmakers is the subject of our article “Brand trust is the car industry's most important asset” (in German).