The Golf represents “the heart” of the Volkswagen brand, the automaker said at the start of 2024, as the iconic model celebrated five decades of existence.
A 50th anniversary also seems like the right occasion to fully bring the Golf into the 21st century: While we already knew that VW is reviving an electric version of the model, the German automaker just revealed the next-gen Golf will also benefit from Rivian’s cutting-edge software and electrical systems.
VW, like global automakers, is transitioning toward producing “software-defined vehicles” (SDVs) with functionalities and digital experiences that can be upgraded over time. That transition became official back in June when VW announced a joint venture with Rivian.
Meanwhile, the automaker also announced last summer it would delay the launch of a new flagship electric vehicle (EV) called Trinity, initially planned for 2026. German press reports at the time suggested the delay was to make room for none other than the next-gen electric Golf.
And now that VW’s venture with Rivian has officially kicked off earlier this month, all the pieces are coming together.
“We decided on how to do the software-defined vehicle,” VW CEO Thomas Schafer said during a media roundtable. “It will happen with the joint venture, where we put the new electric-electronics architecture together. But we have also decided that we want to start this journey with a more iconic product. So we’ll start with the Golf.”
The next-gen electric Golf is now expected for 2029, followed by Trinity in the following years.
The Volkswagen-Rivian venture first plans to use Rivian’s electrical architecture and software technology stack to enable the launch of Rivian’s R2 midsize SUV in the first half of 2026 and support the launch of Volkswagen models by 2027.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.
Missing out on the self-driving future is a tough pill to swallow, especially as a car enthusiast. But that is what Tesla handed us on Wednesday, without a hint of mercy.
During its October 21, 2026 earnings call, Elon Musk told investors the Cybercab is meant mainly as a ride service. Further, nearly all of them will be owned and managed by Tesla.