THE countdown has begun to a major update for the Volkswagen Golf.

The best seller has been around for more than four decades and an entire generation has been named after - known as Generation Golf in Germany.

No other European car has sold better. By the end of last year, 32,590,025 Golf cars had been sold.

In effect, over the last 42 years someone, somewhere in the world, decides to buy a new Golf every 40 seconds.

Record-breaking statistics like these have shaped the car's history which will move on with the announcement of some key changes early next month.

Here are 10 facts about the life of the VW Golf:

1. In 2002 the Golf overtook the Beetle as the most popular car in the world when it notched up 21,517,315 sales.

2. By 1988 the Golf had already broken through the ten million vehicles barrier,

3. In 2003, a Golf Mk1 driver broke through one million kilometres on the clock. More "millionaires" followed.

4. The most expensive Golf was a Mk5 model, once owned by the first owner was Pope Benedict XVI, which was auctioned in 2005 for â¬188,938.

5. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's first Golf, a Mk2 was auctioned in 2012 and sold for â¬10,156.

6. More than 2,000 new Golf cars have been produced and sold every day for the past four decades.

7. Only 730 days after its debut, the millionth Golf was delivered.

8. The most powerful Golf ever was the GTI W12-650 with 650bhp on tap. It was presented in 2007 at the GTI meet at Worthersee.

9. The Golf is currently manufactured in five factories in Germany, Brazil, China and Mexico and is exported to 155 countries.

10. The Golf is the only car in the world which is available with electric, hybrid, petrol, diesel and gas powered engine options.