The "Dakar" technology of the Volkswagen Race Touareg in detail

Volkswagen Race Touareg II

WOLFSBURG : November 20, 2009 - Project title defence : Volkswagen will again contest the famous Dakar Rally in January.


One year after the triumph of the Wolfsburg-based automobile manufacturer at the debut event in Argentina and Chile – the first in the history of the legendary desert marathon by a diesel-powered automobile – Volkswagen will compete with five Race Touareg vehicles – and with a new sporting challenge: to again bring home the trophy to Wolfsburg. But what does the 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally mean for the five driver/co-driver duos in terms of the sport? What challenges are posed to the technology? And how will the complex logistics be organised?

Answers to these and other questions are provided in several press kits addressing various topics. The press kits containing information, brief interviews and facts sheets are provided by Volkswagen for downloading as part of the media countdown for the 2010 "Dakar”.

Extreme athletes on four wheels: the Race Touareg

The evolution of a winner: When the Dakar Rally kicks off on 01 January 2010 with the ceremonial start in Buenos Aires the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 will move across the starting ramp with detailed improvements. Last year's winning vehicle has been designed to master any type of terrain at racing speed: The world's hottest desert? – Awe-inspiring altitudes at two crossings of the Andes? High-speed stretches across gravel? To tackle these challenges, the engineers from Volkswagen subjected the roughly 300-hp "Dakar” prototype with a TDI diesel power-plant to continuous further development. "Expect the unexpected” is one of the "Dakar's” principles. The Race Touareg is ready to accomplish this feat.

Images : Volkswagen Race Touareg II

[Source : VOLKSWAGEN]