A new reputable source signals the U.S.-spec Golf Mk VIII will come only in GTI and R flavors.

First reported by Motor1.com at the beginning of the month, the next-generation VW Golf will be getting a simplified lineup in the United States where at least a couple of versions are going to get the proverbial axe. Automotive News has published a report that echoes our original article stating the base version of the Golf Mk VIII will not make it to the U.S. where the more practical SportWagen won’t be available either.

AN says Volkswagen of America recently informed its dealers about killing the U.S.-spec base Golf and the Golf SportWagen for the model’s eighth generation, with only the GTI and R performance derivatives earmarked for North America. The hot hatches will be revealed sometime next year as per a promise made by VW, but the new intel sourced from “people familiar with the automaker’s plans “suggests these won’t go on sale in the United States until the end of 2021 as 2022MY.

There’s no word about whether the Alltrack will survive the transition to the new gen in the U.S., but with the rugged flavor being based on the not-for-America Golf SportWagen / Variant, it seems highly unlikely.

There’s more to the story as Canada could effectively save the base Golf from being eliminated in North America. As AN points out, the standard Golf is VW’s best-selling car in Canada and dealers over there are unlikely to give up on the model so easily. For this reason, they’ll likely pressure VW on keeping it alive, which would also impact U.S. availability as an undisclosed source told AN that if Canadian dealers will be getting the base Golf, so will dealers across the U.S.

One thing is for sure – the fully electric e-Golf will not live to see a new generation globally since its role in the lineup will be replaced by the ID.3. On the subject of electrification, VW has announced plans for at least two plug-in hybrid versions of its best seller, but it’s not known at this point if either of the two will be getting U.S. license plates. One of the PHEV versions has already been confirmed to offer 50 miles (80 kilometers) of electric range.

The same report goes on to mention another possible change brought by the switch to the Mk VIII will be the location from where the U.S.-spec Golf is going to be sourced. While some of the current versions of the compact hatchback/wagon are shipped from VW’s Puebla factory in Mexico, the entire next-gen lineup will originate from Germany.

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