There is nothing new with "long life" antifreeze, VW sell it over here known as G12 or G13, not sure, anyway they claim it will last the life of the car.
In most cases antifreeze will not loose it's antifreeze properties, but it will loose it's anti corrosion properties which can cause problems.
It's not a bad idea to drain and flush the system every 2 - 5 years anyway to reduce the amount of scale and other deposits that build up over time. especially if you have to use "hard" water
Malc