Record-breaking driver Rainer Zietlow put the new VW Touareg through its paces on an extraordinary long-distance journey from Bratislava to Beijing.
In a prototype vehicle of the model, which had not yet been released at the time, he and his team drove from Slovakia to China in just 21 days.
The team, with co-drivers Rodion Baranov and Alexandre Pogodin, covered 16,528 kilometers and crossed eleven countries. The route took them through wintry Europe and Asia, with temperatures ranging from -23°C to +21°C, over snow-covered mountains and icy steppes. Daily stages of more than 1,000 kilometers challenged both driver and vehicle alike.
The camouflaged Touareg prototype with its modern safety and assistance technology demonstrated its outstanding reliability. The vehicle and team were confronted with unpredictable weather conditions and sometimes adventurous road conditions.
The team reached the finish line right on time for the world premiere in Beijing, where the vehicle was presented to around 1,000 guests.
