VW Golf Mk 8.5 Teased at CES 2024 with ChatGPT Integration

The facelifted VW Golf Mk 8 has been previewed for the first time to the public at CES 2024

Besides Kia, renowned German marque Volkswagen is also heading to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024. Beyond the tech bits and updated on-board software, VW’s exhibition in Las Vegas this year is dominated by the inaugural public debut of the upcoming VW Golf Mk 8 facelift.

First-time ever previewed to the public following its short cameo in VW’s 2023 highlights video, this camo-wrapped Golf Mk 8.5 comes with a slew of minor cosmetic changes inside out. Starting with the front part, you’ll see that the new GTI model comes with a sportier front bumper design, as well as a new LED headlight unit. Interestingly, the new Golf GTI also rides on bigger 19-inch Estoril wheels used on the manic Golf R.

The same treatment can be seen at the rear part, where the updated hatchback gets both new rear bumper and taillight design, with the former featuring a more prominent rear diffuser design. Though the taillights are partially wrapped in the camo drape, we can still see the new light signatures, though their overall shape is quite similar to the previous model.

Though not officially announced, we can expect the updated Golf GTI to retain its predecessor's 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged powertrain setup

On the powertrain front, VW has yet to outline the exact details regarding any changes made over the previous model. However, we can expect the facelifted Golf GTI to retain its predecessor’s tried-and-tested 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged setup, perhaps with a minor power bump to boost its current 241 HP output.

Addressing customers' complaints directly, VW has finally ditched the finicky touch-sensitive controls and switches for the facelifted Golf model

On-board, the new Golf gets a revamped cabin space, courtesy of the new and bigger central infotainment screen that looks similar to what we saw on the ID.7 EV fastback. More importantly, VW has also ditched the old finicky touch-sensitive controls and buttons from the pre-facelift model, replacing them with conventional physical buttons and switches – directly addressing customers’ complaints about the previous model.

Additionally, Volkswagen has also announced the integration of ChatGTP – a renowned AI-based chatbot, within the car’s IDA voice command assistant. Previewed in this facelifted Golf model, this new integration allows users to activate ChatGPT using voice commands only and promises to provide users with more intuitive conversations and better answers to their questions.

For personal data protection, Volkswagen said that the ChatGPT can’t access any vehicle data, with said task being carried out by the native VW IDA instead. Moreover, any interactions, questions, and answers with the chatbot will be deleted immediately.

The updated Volkswagen Golf Mk 8 is set to make its official debut by the end of this month, which means only by then will we get to know all the details and improvements it boasts over the previous model. More importantly, its arrival will be a special yet sombre one, as this might be the last pure ICE-powered Golf ever produced by the Wolfsburg-based marque.