Why VW Called The First-Generation Golf The Volkswagen Rabbit In The US
When is a Golf, not a Golf? When it's a Rabbit, of course! Bizarrely, the evergreen Volkswagen Golf was only ever dubbed "Rabbit" for North American audiences, and, with an exception given very briefly to the fifth-generation model, only the original Rabbit was ever titled as such. This is particularly odd behavior for the usually predictable German automaker, who are no strangers to producing globally successful models, which usually sport the same name regardless of what region they're destined for. The Beetle, Jetta, and Passat are all examples of global Volkswagen models with just one designated title, even though trims and features differ from market to market.
While Volkswagen itself has decided to leave the Rabbit's name firmly planted in their history books, the iconic hatch has grown into one of the automotive landscape's most beloved models, even if it is the slowest of all Golf generations. Regardless, its history isn't going anywhere. Fortunately, for all of us wondering, there are some fairly sensible reasons as to why the brand opted for the Rabbit name when launching the model to the North American market, and it all comes down to how Volkswagen wished for the model to be perceived.
Volkswagen thought their Rabbit would appeal to a youthful audience
It's no secret that Volkswagen struck gold when they launched the Beetle, and therefore, it makes sense that the automaker would try and replicate some of this success. It's from here that the Rabbit's name first drew some inspiration. "Beetle" and "Bug" are, of course, animals, and with models like the Fox following further down the line, it's evident that Volkswagen felt the animal kingdom was a key part of their models' success. However, while the Beetle was cute and lovable, their sharp new hatchback was to be dynamic, youthful, and sporting, so a new name was required. The automaker's approach clearly worked, as the Golf continued to become one of the best-selling Volkswagen models of all time, including when it was called Rabbit.
VW chose the name based on research conducted on Americans and what rabbits meant to them. While "Golf" had links to affluence, Volkswagen felt "Rabbit" better suited what North American audiences found appealing. The connection made sense too; the Rabbit was small and nimble like its namesake, especially in top-flight GTI guise. Ultimately, as we now know, the Rabbit name would not successfully endure the test of time, and second-gen models onward would be dubbed the Golf.