SPY PICS: 2020 Volkswagen Golf exposed

Squeezing in a mountain of new connectivity, touch-screen infotainment and powertrain technologies has forced Volkswagen to push the launch of its eighth-generation Golf back until early next year.

Once due to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September, the Volkswagen Golf Mk8 is now more likely to be revealed late this year and released in the first quarter of next year, with Australian sales to commence in late 2020.

Instead, production versions of the all-electric range of Volkswagen I.D. models will take the Frankfurt spotlight while Volkswagen takes an extra couple of months to polish its two different mild-hybrid systems for the Golf.

Or, in reality, to give the biggest possible window for the breakthrough Volkswagen EVs to shine, even as it kills off the e-Golf.

The latest spy pictures of the eighth-generation VW Golf show a car that looks flatter than its predecessor, and wider, with a broader track width and a sight increase in length.

It will remain about 1.47 metres high, which will be much lower than the I.D. Neo hatch, while the new tail-lights make the rear-end more vertical and there is now a distinct shoulder over the rear wheels.

The Volkswagen Golf 8 will break with tradition by using both 12-volt and more expensive 48-volt mild-hybrid systems to pull down its CO2 emissions and boost low-speed acceleration.

It will use the cheaper 12V system of mild-hybrid power for the entry-level and even mid-range versions, though the pricier models will get the Audi-developed 48V unit.

The powertrains will be headlined by a mildly updated version of the current Golf 7’s 1.5-litre TSI ACT (Miller Cycle) four-cylinder engine, with cylinder-on-demand technology, variable valve timing and lift, and both direct and indirect fuel injection.

It will see service with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo engine and an all-new 1.5-litre diesel, which could very well be the last new small diesel motor Volkswagen ever develops.

The addition of the starter-generator units, acting directly on the engine’s crankshaft for added power, for the mild-hybrid set-up could even pull down turbo boost levels, especially on smaller engines.

At the top of the diesel line-up will be the EA 288 EVO 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, which will see service in Audis before it turns up in the Golf.

There will be six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions, and an optional all-wheel drive system on the more powerful models.

All of this will be crammed into a new version of the existing Golf 7’s hugely versatile MQB architecture, dubbed MQB EVO, with new metal mixes pulling the weight down by around 50kg.

The cabin size of the new Golf won’t change much, because it doesn’t need to even if some of its competitors are attacking it on rear-seat space.

Only the Golf wagon (Variant, in Volkswagen-speak), will be lengthened and, even then, it won’t be by much.

The bigger story will be the technology inside the Golf, with challenges coming from above via BMW’s new 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class, and below via Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Honda, Renault and Peugeot.

It’s a testament to the Golf 7’s broad appeal that people cross-shopped it with BMWs, Benzes and even Audis, but it placed pressure on Volkswagen to lift the interior tech while maintaining entry-level models cheap enough for Europe’s fleet buyers.

The Mk8 will score technology that’s been essentially lifted from other, larger Volkswagens. It should pluck plenty of features from the just-facelifted Passat, including its programmable instrument display, a larger screen and a proper head-up display rather than a fighter-pilot unit.

Its driver-assistance features will also mirror the Passat, with a cockpit pared down to the bare minimum of switches and controlled by voice commands and touch-screens.

So much of the new Golf’s interior has been moved to touch-screen that even the headlight switch could be touch-screen, and the only conventional buttons will be on the steering wheel.

It will be connected by a version of the new VW Touareg’s eSIM card, giving it permanent internet access and the ability to tap into 3D satellite mapping and the HERE digital mapping network.

Apart from setting a new class standard in connectivity, with a permanent SIM fitted to keep it connected at all times, the next Volkswagen Golf will bring a more advanced, more autonomous version of the VW Group’s latest Traffic Jam Assistant.