The Gentleman Magazine Issue 18 | December 2019 | Page 35
READY FOR THE ELECTRIC FUTURE: VOLKSWAGEN IS
FOCUSING ITS MOTORSPORT STRATEGY ON E-MOBILITY
Volkswagen is focusing its motorsport strategy on electric
mobility. A clear emphasis on fully electric racing cars will
be backed up by the farewell to factory-backed commitments
using internal combustion engines. "The role as a technological
pioneer will continue to be taken over by the ID.R electric
race car, which has set important milestones for electric
mobility with records at Pikes Peak (USA), Nürburgring (D),
Goodwood (GB) and Tianmen (CN). In addition, Volkswagen
Motorsport will develop new motorsport concepts for the ID.
family on the basis of the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB),
on which numerous electric production vehicles will be based.
“Volkswagen Motorsport broke new ground with the ID.R,
and with its records around the world it demonstrated the
enormous potential of electric drive. Now is the time for the
next step towards the future: in motorsport, Volkswagen is
resolutely committing to e-mobility and will say goodbye to
factory-backed commitments using internal combustion
engines,” says Dr. Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of
Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand with
responsibility for Technical Development. “In addition to the
ID.R as a technological pioneer, the MEB will in future be the
second, production-related pillar in Volkswagen’s motorsport
programme.”
production cars and, on the other, as a convincing marketing
platform to inspire people even more towards electric mobility,”
explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “That
is why we are going to focus more than ever on factory-
backed electric drive commitments and continue to expand
our activities with the development of the MEB. Innovative
technology relevant to the car of the future is our focus.”
Correspondingly, Volkswagen Motorsport’s customer sport
programme will also be electrified. The first stage will involve
different disciplines, platforms and vehicle types being
examined and evaluated. Parallel to this, the production of
the Golf GTI TCR for the racetrack will expire at the end of
2019, and a successor based on the new generation will not
be offered. Customer service and spare parts supply will be
guaranteed in the long term.
The Polo GTI R5 remains an integral part of Volkswagen
Motorsport’s customer sport offering and will continue to
be produced for customer teams. The Hanover base will be
responsible for continued customer support, spare parts
supply and the competitiveness of the Polo. Factory-backed
competition entries with the Polo GTI R5 will no longer go
ahead.
“Electric mobility offers enormous development potential, and
in this regard motorsport can be a trailblazer: on the one hand,
it serves as a dynamic laboratory for the development of future
The Gentleman Magazine | 35