The Volkswagen Golf, commonly referred to as simply the VW Golf, (Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico), is a compact car/small family car manufactured by Volkswagen. The front-wheel drive Golf was Volkswagen's first successful replacement for the air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle.

Historically, it is Volkswagen's best-selling model and the world's third best-selling model, with more than 25 million built by 2007.[1] Most production of the Golf has been in the 3-door hatchback style[citation needed]. Other variants include a 5-door hatchback, station wagon (estate / Variant), convertible (Cabrio), and a 4-door Volkswagen Jetta saloon (sedan). A touring (wagon) version of the Jetta has also been available. They have filled many market segments from basic personal cars to high-performance hot hatches. The Golf's success popularised the use of the hatchback in the C segment of cars and began the entire Golf class.