Volkswagen Group Africa is Celebrating its best-selling People’s Car by Asking South Africa to Find an Appropriate Nickname for the Golf Mk8.5
May 2025
As part of its new Forever Golf campaign, Volkswagen Group Africa is calling on South Africa to continue the tradition of finding carefully crafted, authentic nicknames that resonate with their favourite generation of the iconic Golf hatchback. The campaign, which includes a series of heartwarming videos showcasing what each of the eight generations of Golf means to the people of Mzansi, aligns with the recent introduction of the current Mk8.5 onto the market.
Launched in South Africa in May 1978, the first generation (Mk1) Golf was seen as the natural successor to Volkswagen’s iconic Beetle. Including the flagship original hot hatch GTI derivative, the Mk1 would spawn a legion of fans in this market. Marketed as the VW Rabbit in the US market, it wasn’t long before some South African owners began referring to their Mk1 creations by this fun-filled nickname.
The arrival of the Golf Mk5 GTI and the distinct exhaust flutter associated with rapid upshifts from this performance-focused derivative's DSG transmission led to a fun-loving South African audience associating this sound with the nickname Vrrr Pha.
With the Golf Mk6 referred to as Bum Jive, and the Mk7 dubbed 7 Reasons Why, the introduction of the updated eighth-generation Golf into South Africa, in the form of the 1.4 TSI, has reinforced this market’s love for this best-selling “people’s car”.
“Historically, nicknames for the Golf have come from the streets. To carry on this tradition forward, Volkswagen is co-creating the new nickname for the Golf Mk8.5, together with its audience. A campaign for The People, by The People,” says Volkswagen Group Africa’s long-standing ad agency, Ogilvy South Africa
Follow Volkswagen Group Africa’s eight-part “Forever Golf” campaign on social media and YouTube and lend your voice to the search for an appropriate nickname for the new Golf.
Learn more about the new Golf here.
While the success of the Golf Mk1 would hatch the idea for one of South Africa’s most popular car campaigns in the form of the “Red, Yellow and Blue” CitiGolf, the 1984 arrival of the second-generation Golf, complete with its twin headlamp arrangement and the eventual introduction of a 2.0-litre powertrain, would go on to be nicknamed 20/20.
Showcased by local artist DJ Citi and featuring Sjava and Saudi, the 2016 song Vura refers to the nickname given to the Golf Mk3 VR6, originating from the distinct exhaust note associated with this flagship model’s 3.2-litre V6 powertrain.
While South Africa didn’t receive an allocation of the Golf Mk4 range’s V6-powered R32 derivative, the fact that this badge resonated so closely with the country’s monetary currency led to this product portfolio being referred to as R32 (thirty-two Rand).
Two nicknames resonate with the Golf Mk5. In keeping with the prevalence of new technology, which, including from the likes of Apple, focused on a youthful global audience at the time when the fifth-generation Golf was introduced, this car would soon start being referred to as i-5.
