Ah, the Volkswagen Golf. Despite endless lawsuits and the arrival of many strong new rivals, I’d still buy a Golf. And I’m not alone. It was the UK’s fourth best-selling car last year, with 69,492 sold. 

But how long can it really remain relevant? When we asked VW boss Herbert Diess how long the Golf would survive alongside its electric counterparts, he said there might be regions where VW won’t sell EVs, “because they won’t play a major role for the next decade”.

But VW has its biggest success in the populated countries that can manage EVs and their infrastructure. Given that the ID electric hatchback revealed at the Paris motor show is claimed to have Golf-like proportions with Passat-like interior space and a range of up to 340 miles, the Golf quickly seems a less shrewd choice.

The Mk8 Golf won’t arrive until 2019 and will continue to sell well as EV sales ramp up. But as much as I’m a Golf fan, it’s exciting to think of a day when it can be eclipsed by a zero-emissions, more spacious, technically advanced equivalent.

Read more: 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI set to get hybrid power