THE latest chapter in the story of the Volkswagen Golf is about to be released and it features the car maker's newest infotainment system - complete with ChatGPT integration and an intuitive operating concept.

With a sharper design that incorporates, for the first time on the Golf, an illuminated Volkswagen logo at the front there are also efficient drive systems, including plug-in hybrids with an increased all-electric range of more than 60 miles.

Life, Match and Style trims for the Golf hatch and Life and Style trims for the estate are the first versions to go on sale.

Initial engine and transmission choices comprise the 1.5 TSI 115 ps manual, the mild-hybrid 1.5 eTSI 115 ps with automatic direct-shift gearbox, the 1.5 TSI 150 ps manual and the 1.5 eTSI 150 ps with DSG.

Prices start from £27,035 for the Golf hatch and £28,400 for the Golf estate.

The first Golf R-Line models will be available to order from April 25 and come with sporty styling and additional features, including 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, leather-wrapped and heated multi-function sports steering wheel, a 12.9-inch infotainment display, a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

Engine and transmission choices comprise the 1.5 TSI 150 ps manual or the 1.5 eTSI 150 ps with DSG. Prices start from £30,285 for the hatch and £31,650 for the estate.

Sales of additional Golf models, including eHybrid, GTI and GTE versions, are set to begin in the middle of 2024.

The front of the new Golf has newly-designed LED headlights, including the optional high-performance IQ. Light matrix headlights - first seen on the range-topping Touareg - which have an extensive main beam range of up to 500 metres. There's also a horizontal LED strip in the radiator grille and an illuminated Volkswagen logo.

The rear features optional three-dimensional and redesigned light clusters which come with welcome and goodbye effects that can be customised in the vehicle settings.

Inside, the updated model has a newly developed and intuitive infotainment system with a free-standing touchscreen measuring 12.9 inches, a fast processor and ergonomically optimised and illuminated touch sliders for temperature and volume.

Also new are an enhanced multi-function steering wheel - complete with physical buttons - and the ChatGPT-enabled IDA voice assistant.

Using natural language, IDA can be used to control functions such as air conditioning, telephone and navigation, and to access online information for everything from weather forecasts and general knowledge to nearby restaurants and recipes.

The Digital Cockpit Pro with its 10.2 inch display can be customised to display ‘classic' round instruments or ‘progressive' tiles, with space in-between that can be assigned freely to display, for example, navigation route guidance or assist systems.

The first series-produced Golf, the successor to the Beetle, was built at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, at the end of March 1974.

More than 37 million units have followed that first Golf to date.

In mathematical terms, more than 2,000 people around the world have opted to buy a new Golf every day for the past 50 years, making this compact icon the most successful European car and by far the best-selling Volkswagen model so far in the company's history.