Photo: original image created by autoevolution
What better way to create a bit of iconic imagery around your new crossover product than the Dakar Rally. BMW did it with the MINI Countryman and VW basically made the Touareg famous there.
If we are to believe the media hype, than the next step in VAG sand rallying is not German at all, it’s British. Bentley apparently wants to get in on the action in order to prove their SUV has what it takes in front of all those rich Saudi potential customers.
The 2013 season of the Dakar Rally is expected once again to take place in South America due to safety concerns, and Volkswagen apparently need to buy back the Touareg racers sold to private teams because it wants to convert them into Bentley EXp 9 F bodies.
Of course, Dakar racers are actually bare boned cars built around stiff tubular chassis, so the fact that the racers won’t actually be underpinned by Bentley’s architecture is irrelevant. At best, they could test out the engines to see if they can stand up to racing conditions.
Source: CAR Magazine
The 2013 season of the Dakar Rally is expected once again to take place in South America due to safety concerns, and Volkswagen apparently need to buy back the Touareg racers sold to private teams because it wants to convert them into Bentley EXp 9 F bodies.
Of course, Dakar racers are actually bare boned cars built around stiff tubular chassis, so the fact that the racers won’t actually be underpinned by Bentley’s architecture is irrelevant. At best, they could test out the engines to see if they can stand up to racing conditions.
Source: CAR Magazine
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