Daniel Bardsley examines the enduring appeal of the original Volkswagen Golf design in South Africa In the UAE, where the cars are even newer and shinier than the buildings, there is little appetite for motoring nostalgia. When a new car launches, the old version seems to disappear from the roads almost overnight. Already, for instance, the curvaceous new Toyota Camry outnumbers its slightly staid-looking predecessor.
In many other countries the opposite applies, with older designs remaining common for decades. This is not always because budget-conscious owners keep their vehicles running for hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Instead, it is often because the old models are still made as new. From China to Russia, from South Africa to Brazil, designs that for Gulf residents are fading memories are still doing brisk business in the showrooms.
There are few more popular than Volkswagen's Citi Golf, which is made in South Africa and has become something of an icon in the rainbow nation. While drivers here are contemplating the introduction of the sixth version of the Golf, the Citi is based on the Mark 1, which was introduced in 1974 and first made in South Africa four years later. In most parts of the world, the Mark 1 was axed in 1983 after a highly successful stint that saw sales run into the millions, establishing the car as a worthy successor to the Beetle. But in South Africa, the production lines just kept on rolling and, in 1985, the car was slightly revised and renamed the Citi Golf.
According to Dave Abrahams, a journalist with motoring.co.za, there is no sign of the Citi Golf's appeal dwindling. "They are still popular because the original Golf generated a huge following in South Africa," he said. "A number of people, including my wife, went to buy a Citi when they had to get rid of their original Golf. "Volkswagen South Africa say as long as it's continuing to sell, they will continue to make them."
The Citi Golf's angular lines and boxy charm make it seem like something out of the dark ages compared to today's curvy hatchbacks, but South Africans cannot get enough of them. The first year of Citi Golf production saw 3,500 cars leave the showrooms and, far from fading away as the design has aged, the car has become more popular. In 2006, the Citi Golf achieved its best-ever annual sales of 28,550, and the following year Volkswagen South Africa celebrated making its 500,000th Mark 1 Golf, while racking up a further 26,000 sales.
The car's keen price - a 1.4-litre, fuel-injection model can be had for about Dh27,000 - is crucial to its continued popularity. As a result of South Africa's relatively weak currency, Mr Abrahams said imported vehicles can be expensive, making South African-built cars relatively good value for money. The only competitors in terms of price for these South African-built cheapies, Mr Abrahams says, are smaller Chinese cars such as the Chery QQ.
The Citi Golf is cheap because it is truly basic. Buyers wanting anti-lock brakes, airbags, power steering or electric windows have to look elsewhere. Additionally, prices can be kept keen because Volkswagen has long since absorbed the costs of developing the car. That is not to say there have not been changes over the years to bring the car kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The engines have been updated and there is a modern interior.
But cannily, to keep costs down, VW has cannibalised parts from its other models to avoid spending money on developing all-new features. The dashboard, for example, comes from the Fabia model made by VW's stablemate Skoda. "A good percentage of the price of any car goes to pay for the development of the model in the first place," Mr Abrahams explains. "There are no development costs in the Citi Golf, other than a different trim or to change something in the dashboard. The costs are just about nil, so they can afford to keep the price down."
Such has been the success of the Citi Golf that other manufacturers have tried to get in on the retro act. Last year, Fiat reintroduced into South Africa the Mark 1 Uno, a car that died in western Europe in 1989, with prices about the same as those of the Citi Golf. However, the car did not prove popular and has already been dropped from the Fiat line-up. It remains in production in Brazil, however, rubbing shoulders on the dealers' forecourts with the new Grande Punto, which is four model generations ahead. The Brazilian Uno, with its raised suspension and unsightly pieces of body kit, is known as the Mille Economy.
According to Peter Jones, chairman of the Fiat Motor Club (GB), there are good reasons why the Uno remains popular. "It's comfortable and it's reliable even if it's not beautiful. It's a good workhorse. You can drive them for miles and miles and they just keep coming back for more," he said. He admits, though, that automotive technology has developed hugely in the past two decades and retro-car buyers are getting fairly basic motors for their money.
"At the time, the Uno was very, very adequate for its purpose, but times have moved on. Now new cars are much nicer. By comparison, new cars are out of sight." There are countless other examples of old models that remain available new, including sixth- and seventh-generation Mitsubishi Lancers and second generation Mitsubishi Pajeros in India, and Mark 2 Opel Corsas in South Africa. In China, motorists can still buy Mark 2 and Mark 5 Volkswagen Passats, while in Serbia the Mark 2 Fiat Punto is sold as the Zastava 10.
Possibly the most successful old model that continues in production is also based on a Fiat design, this time the 124, which debuted in 1966. Since 1970, Vaz in Russia has been making these boxy saloons, which make the Volkswagen Citi Golf look like a fresh-faced newbie. Up until the late 1990s, they were imported into western Europe and Canada as the Lada Niva, but even their rock-bottom price was not enough to cope with competition from more modern far eastern cars and tougher emissions legislation.
But the model remains available in Russia as the Vaz-2102 and other parts of the Soviet Union. About 15 million have been sold around the world so far and, with a price as low as Dh25,000, it is no surprise that motorists will overlook the ancient technology and medieval design. dbardsley@thenational.ae
