In November 1990, Geng Zhaojie (FAW) and Dr. Hahn (VW) signed a contract for a joint venture, producing 150.000 cars: the Volkswagen Golf A2 (hatchback) and Jetta A2 (sedan).
Initially, it was decided to start production in Changchun with the Golf A2, later followed by the Jetta A2. In August 1991 the first 2000 Golf cars would be made.
But market research, and the fear that the Golf would be regarded as a very expensive competitor of the smaller Tianjin-Dafa (Daihatsu) Xiali, changed the minds. Production of the Jetta sedan started in December 1991.
In the mean time, FAW-VW advertised the Golf, and even printed a Jetta brochure including the Golf.
At local exhibitions a revised Golf A2 prototype, with the front bumper including the air inlets of the Golf GTI, was shown.
Production of the Jetta was very successful, year after year. And the Golf? Forgotten.
Till 2003, when the first Golf 4 came off the line. Not a big success.
Followed by the Golf 6, Golf 7 and Golf 8. Chinese people were getting used to the hatchback. They were bestsellers.
Very interesting, I wondered for a long time, why there wasnt any golf before 4th generation produced in China. Thanks for the article.
JFK, read this: https://auto.163.com/09/1019/00/5LUSCNB900083R2E_all.html
greetings Erik
also interesting: https://hj.pcauto.com.cn/article/841351
Was the Golf A2 only in production for 3 months?
Graham, there was no production of the Golf A2 at all. Only a couple of test cars.
I own this FAW passenger car brochure and it has the Golf on it, listing a couple of basic stats about the car along with Jetta. A picture, as quoted, ‘适应性试验车队（adaption experimental convoy）’ features Golfs and Jettas passing the Tiananmen Square is shown on another page. The brochure was for the fourth Shanghai International Automotive Industry Exhibition held back in 1991.
[…] Jetta A3, was made in Germany, Mexico and South Africa from 1992-1999. It was the successor of the Jetta A2, which was a big success (together with the Shanghai-Volkswagen Santana) of Volkswagen in China. […]