VW Touareg V6 TDi Blitzes Panamericana Record

Another tough motorsport international event and another accolade for VW – this time with adventurer, Rainer Zietlow, driving the 22,750Km Panamericana in a record time of just 11 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes, driving a Volkswagen Touareg 3.0-litre V6 TDI. The epic race runs the entire length of North and South America, and as part of his post-race tour, the off-road enthusiast is showing the record-setting vehicle in Wolfsburg today. Zietlow and his team covered a total of 22,750 kilometres on the route between Tierra del Fuego and Alaska; they passed through 17 countries as well as most of the Earth’s climate and vegetation zones in the record drive, which has been certified by the TÜV Nord testing organisation. VW say: "Whether extreme heat, heavy rain, sandstorms or snow – the Volkswagen Touareg proved its efficiency and staying power under challenging course conditions. Zietlow broke the previous world record set in 2006 by four days. In the Touareg, the eco-friendly 3.0-litre V6 TDI Clean Diesel engine (165 kW/225 PS in the US version) consumes 30 percent less fuel and emits up to 25 percent less CO₂ than other vehicles with petrol engines in its class." Rainer Zietlow has documented his world record drive with extensive video and photographic materials at the following website: www.tdi-panamericana.com. Check it out... and well done to VW and Mr Zietlow.