Volkswagen is planning to launch a revamped version of the Golf next year, the mass circulation Bild newspaper reports.

The sixth generation of the popular compact car comes with new headlights, a large chromed grille and an altogether sleeker design, the newspaper said.

A VW spokesman in Wolfsburg refused to confirm or deny the report. "We in principle do not comment on such speculation," he said.

Part of the VW cost-cutting strategy is to reduce the choice of engines in the Golf series and the number of technical gadgets. In turn the car maker is planning to fit the new Golf with more high- quality interior materials and offer air conditioning as standard for all Golf models.

The engine range starts with the frugal 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with an output of 120 hp. Production of the current 75 hp and 102 hp engines would cease, the Bild report said. The entry model sells in Germany at 16,160 euros but the price of the new Golf is expected to be well above 17,000 euros.

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