The group stressed that this is not a mandatory recall as well as "no safety-related issues", but a voluntary action. However, the measure is likely to be seen in the context of electronics difficulties with the important model.

"For vehicles already delivered, the aim is to increase the functionality of the user interface and eliminate known comfort limitations," the company explained. It said the upgrade represents a "usual process in an active digital lifecycle management" - Golf 8s delivered from the end of July 2020 would already have the new version ex works.

According to information from the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," meanwhile, the issue also involves persistent problems with a control unit that is said to be contributing to the "apparently mass occurrence of errors" in the car's digital infotainment system. In some cases, the navigation system and other on-screen displays are failing in the affected vehicles.

According to VW, about 26,000 Golf 8s in Germany will receive the update, with the remaining 30,000 in other European countries. "The service campaign lasts one day, customers get a free loan car and a service voucher. In addition, every updated Golf gets a free one-year follow-up warranty.

“The eighth edition of the VW Group's "bread-and-butter model" initially experienced significant problems with its electronics during production. By the end of the start-up year 2019, less than ten percent of the originally targeted quantity had been produced. In the course of this, the works council also voiced sharp criticism of the management: Too much new technology had been stuffed into the new Golf too quickly. VW's top management, on the other hand, spoke at times of one of the best model launches ever. With the complex control technology, the company also largely broke new ground - as it did with the first models in the electric ID series.

(Original text: dpa, Translation: Mareike Graepel)