Volkswagen Citi
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The VW Citi Golf is a car produced by Volkswagen in South Africa. Formerly known as both the CitiGolf and Citigolf (one word), it is a facelifted version of the original VW Golf MK 1 hatchback, which ceased production in Germany in 1983. The car is produced in right-hand drive only.
Volkswagen South Africa assembled the MK 1 Golf from 1978 to 1984 when it was replaced by the Golf MK2. VWSA however decided to retain the MK1 as an affordable fully locally manufactured entry level car. Tooling mostly came from the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA, plant when it ceased production there as well after the 1984 model.
The original Citigolf was available in a limited range of solid (non-metallic) colours (a fact highlighted in the contemporary advertising campaign which used a tagline "Red, Yellow, Blue... Not Green!"). The early cars were distinguished by white bumpers and wheels, as well as white appliqués carrying the CITIGOLF and CITI graphics mounted on the lower door panels and on the tailgate.
Initially, the bodywork was identical to that of the superseded Mk-1 Golf, but a locally-penned facelift gave it a sloping grille, similar to that of the MK 2 model Golf, as well as more modern "deep" bumpers in body colour.
In 2004, the Citi Golf received a new dashboard lifted from the Skoda Fabia. Until a further facelift in the second-quarter of 2006, it sported tail-lights similar to post-1980 Euro MK 1's. The 2006 facelift saw modifications to the front bumper (adding a second grille in the lower half) as well as new, unique-to-South-Africa tail lights incorporating a circular inset tail light/brakelight combination.
A sedan version called the VW Fox(VW Jetta A1) was also produced, along with a pick-up truck (known in South Africa as a bakkie) called the Caddy.
The Citi Golf and the Caddy are still in production, but VWSA now also produces the Golf V, Jetta V, the European VW Polo hatchback and its Brazilian sedan derivative. The Citi Golf is intended to complement this range as an entry-level vehicle.
"Special Edition" Citi Golfs carrying unique trim and equipment combinations have been released throughout the car's production run and include the "Designa", the "Blues", the "Ritz", the "Rhythm" and the "Citi.com" which, in theory, was available only if ordered over the Internet. Another special edition called the "Deco" introduced colour coded leather seats to the car in 1995. It was available in three derivatives namely red, green and a special electric blue. The latter was initially only offered on the Citi but was later transferred to other Volkswagen models as well. The most recent special edition is the "VeloCiti" which was introduced to the public at Auto Africa in 2004.
The newest addition to the Citi Golf lineup is the Citi 1.8iR which was unveiled at the Auto Africa Expo during October 2006 in Johannesburg. It features very bold styling, including a full bodykit, partial leather front seats, and aluminium trim on the dashboard. The engine is a 1.8 litre fuel-injected unit which, although it shares its displacement with the iconic CTi, pushes out 8kW of extra power. VWSA claims that it can rocket from 0 to 100km/h in only 8.5 seconds.
The Citi Golf was, for a time, also available in a fuel-injected 1.8 litre CTi variant (at a time when other versions still had carburettor engines). The CTi was very similar to the original Golf I GTi. In addition, there was a 1.8 litre carburettor-engined Sport variant (advertising tagline "New Citigolf Sport, drive it home, Sport, drive it home.").
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