Volkswagen to show facelifted Golf in Geneva?

Jan 25, 2016, 3:30am ET

The Golf will get more tech features, new engines, and a 420-hp range-topping model.

The star of the Volkswagen stand at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show will be a facelifted Golf, a new report finds.

Unsurprisingly, Volkswagen won't make any major visual changes to its best-seller. German magazine Auto Bild believes the aesthetic updates will be largely limited to new bumpers on both ends, slightly tweaked lights, and an array of additional alloy wheel designs.

Bigger changes will be found inside. Base and mid-range versions of the Golf will be available with a digital instrument cluster at an extra cost, and the more expensive e-Golf, Golf GTI, and Golf R models will come standard with the technology. A gesture-controlled infotainment system is set to join the lineup, but the software won't be ready in time for the car's scheduled debut.

Mechanically, Euro-spec versions of the Golf will benefit from more efficient engines. However, the big news is that Volkswagen is preparing to launch the production version of the wild Golf R400 concept (pictured) that was shown at the Beijing Auto Show two years ago. Called R420, the production model will boast 420 horsepower but whether it will use an evolution of the Golf R's 2.0-liter turbo four or the Audi RS3's 2.5-liter five-cylinder is up in the air at this point.

Volkswagen hasn't announced what it will show in Geneva. If Auto Bild's sources are correct, the Wolfsburg-based car maker will introduce the updated Golf online a few days before the event opens its doors to the press on March 1st, and the R420 model could greet the public for the first time in April at the Beijing show.

Photos by Ronan Glon.