How the hatchback got heavy

Volkswagen Golf shows EU rules driving costlier, complex, safer cars

In 1974, when the first Volkswagen Golf rolled off the line, it was meant to be a sensible car for sensible Europeans. Now, after half a century, it has become a rolling ledger of Brussels’ ambition. The model has accumulated weight, complexity and cost with each wave of regulation, from the earliest crash standards and pedestrian-protection measures to mandated airbags and antilock braking systems (ABS) in 2004 and electronic stability control in 2011. To trace its bill of materials is to read a history of Europe’s regulatory zeal on safety, emissions, noise and, increasingly, data. These rules to protect people and the planet have shaped every panel, sensor and component.