The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – such as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada (Mk1 and Mk5), and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico (Mk1).
The original Golf Mk1 was a front-wheel-drive, front-engined replacement for the air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Volkswagen Beetle. Historically, the Golf is Volkswagen's best-selling model and the world's second best-selling model, with more than 35 million units sold as of 2019.