VW Tourareg TDI Clean Diesel SUV Breaks World Record on World's Longest Road - Pan-American Highway

Driving a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI® Clean Diesel SUV - on July 13, 2011, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Pan-American Highway's establishment, professional German driver Rainer Zietlow of Challenge4 and his team (Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela) set a new world record certified by TÜV Nord Mobility (11 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes) for driving the length of the Pan-American Highway breaking the previous record by more than three days! Despite a number of challenges during the trip, this record time was accomplished with virtually non-stop day and night driving, in 5 hour shifts and with the help of additional support along the way. This interesting short but inspiring documentary film highlights the length of the trip.

The incredible journey begins in Ushuaia, the capital city of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina and ends in Deadhorse Alaska. The Pan-American Highway spans nearly 16,000 miles and travels through 14 countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's longest "motorable road".

At the start of the journey, the Mayor of Ushuaia in Argentina offered Zietlow an official medallion to present to the Mayor of Deadhorse, Alaska, the final stop on the Panamericana tour.

Zietlow donated 10 Euro cents for each Kilometer (roughly 3,000 Euros) to Plan International, a charity organization that works in 48 developing countries to promote children's rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.

According to the TDI-Panamericana website http://www.tdi-panamericana.com/, Zietlow chose the Touareg TDI® Clean Diesel for its durability, high-performance and long-range fuel efficiency. Its turbocharged 3.0L V6 TDI® engine delivers 225 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque and is designed to perform on rugged terrain and mixed road surfaces at varying altitudes. The clean diesel Touareg consumes 30 percent less fuel and produces up to 25 percent lower CO2 emissions than comparable gasoline vehicles.

"Volkswagen congratulates the Challenge4 Team on their success," said Rainer Michel, vice president of product marketing, Volkswagen of America. "We knew that the Volkswagen Touareg TDI® Clean Diesel SUV could be pushed to unimaginable limits. The completion of the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge in record-setting time demonstrates the vehicle's durability, reliability, comfort and fuel-efficiency. This is a great vehicle for adventurers, driving enthusiasts and families alike."

From August 1 through August 30, Zietlow will drive the record-setting Touareg to Volkswagen dealerships across the nation where interested public can watch a movie about his journey and look inside the vehicle.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

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• Panamericana
• Panamerican
• Pan-American
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• Challenge
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• Canada
• Ushuaia
• Argentina
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• Rainer Michel
• Rainer Zietlow
• TÜV
• Nord
• Challenge4
• Guiness
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• 2010
• 2012
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• journey
• adventure
• road
• trip
• mini
• documentary
• film

[buttmanroad]

That was Awsome. Can you do it with a 2WD Truck?

[wankel7]

But how good was the gas mileage!

[seovideo24]

to the "Garvey " auto group good for you

Videos of interest to people that actually get views

Something of value and interest that viewers and surfers would not of come across otherwise and either enjoy or find of value

In too many cases its a sales guy walking around a car or a 2001 ( classic sci-fi movie) synthesized like "HAL" ( letters which precede IBM in the alphabet) with the mechanical voice going on about the virtues of the car on hand

Yet there are seldom any views at all Bravo

[yzhu33]

wonderful trip