VW engineers have been ordered by the car maker's executives to simplify construction of the new model to cut costs.
The news magazine Der Spiegel reports that workers currently needed 48 hours to produce the current Golf with competitors needing about half the time to produce a similar car.
Especially the door construction of the current Golf needed repeated readjustment putting up the cost up by 300 euros per car,Der Spiegel reported.
VW's works councils have criticised management for the high production costs, citing an over-emphasis on unnecessary technical details.
A VW spokesperson has denied the reports that the Golf V1 would come earlier than planned. But the reputed Auto-Motor-Sport magazine said that it was unclear whether VW could still afford such a big choice in the Golf range.
It is possible that VW could produce the V1 as a sporty three-door version while merging the five-door and Golf Plus into a different model, the magazine said.
The Volkswagen division of the VW concern is currently facing massive cost-cutting measures, especially at its main Wolfsburg plant in northern Germany.