- It should be borne in mind that since the launch of the first generation in 1974, the Volkswagen Golf has been one of the highest-selling vehicles in Europe, as well as being one of the ones manufactured in the greatest numbers. 6.8 million of the first generation were manufactured (1974-1983), 6.3 million of the second generation (1983-1991), 4.8 million of the third generation (1991-1997), 4.3 million of the fourth generation (1997-2003), 3.8 million of the fifth generation (2003-2008), and 2.6 million of the sixth generation (2008-2012) were made. The erosion of the Golf's sales from one generation to the next is therefore apparent, but the life cycle of these generations, which gradually became shorter, has to be factored in, as well as the advent of competing models within the Volkswagen range, like the Golf Plus, the Touran and the Tiguan. In spite of that, the Golf has held up better than its competitors from other brands like the Opel Astra, the Ford Focus, the Renault Mégane or the Peugeot 308.