15 German Cars That Changed History

“VW Golf II front 20080102” by Rudolf Stricker – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

14. Volkswagen Golf 1974–present Germany

Golfs (or Rabbits, as they were sold in the US at times) are a compact car designed and manufactured by the Volkswagen Group. An advancement of the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive Beetle design, the Golf is a front-engine, front-wheel drive compact that has become Volkswagen’s best-selling model of all time. It also has the distinction of being the second best-sellingautomobile ever, with well over 30,000,000 being sold world-wide. Through seven generations of continuous production, the Golf has become a go-to car for anyone looking for style, affordability, and efficiency. Its reliability and popularity helped it to become a Car of the Century nominee. Continuing to lead the charge on fuel efficiency, VW recently began producing electric powered Golfs.