Photo: Volkswagen
It shouldn't really have been a surprise - after all, that's precisely why Volkswagen's taking an electric prototype to Pikes Peak: to promote its upcoming range of electric vehicles.
And yet looking at the I.D. concept, the hatchback that seems to bear the most resemblance to the one-off racer, we find ourselves struggling to see anything racy about it. It's the most unobtrusive, reserved, maybe even goofy car we've ever seen. If it were a dog, it'd be a Golden Retriever. Not exactly the kind of pooch you'd choose for running an agility course, right?
But, hey, marketing is marketing, and we'll do everything we can to sell cars. Let's not forget we're talking about the same company that knowingly intoxicated monkeys and installed defeat devices in its vehicles to hide the carcinogenic substances they spat into the atmosphere. This little harmless trick? This is child's play.
“This allows us to demonstrate the efficiency of Volkswagen's future battery and drivetrain technology in a competitive environment," Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said earlier. "An additional challenge lies in the fact that the race track on Pikes Peak is a normal road, where both the weather and road conditions are more frequently subject to change.”
This year's Pikes Peak challenge will take place on June 24 when the Volkswagen team will try to demonstrate its know-how in making EVs by presumably beating the record for battery-powered vehicles. Driving the prototype through the 156 turns of the 12.42-miles-long road (19.99 kilometers) is going to be Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, and we all know a quality driver is just as important as the car itself.
Sadly, this new teaser doesn't reveal anything about the vehicle's technical details, which we're very curious to know more about. Not because it should preview any sort of production model or anything, but simply because we're suckers for purpose-built race cars with impressive specs.
But, hey, marketing is marketing, and we'll do everything we can to sell cars. Let's not forget we're talking about the same company that knowingly intoxicated monkeys and installed defeat devices in its vehicles to hide the carcinogenic substances they spat into the atmosphere. This little harmless trick? This is child's play.
“This allows us to demonstrate the efficiency of Volkswagen's future battery and drivetrain technology in a competitive environment," Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said earlier. "An additional challenge lies in the fact that the race track on Pikes Peak is a normal road, where both the weather and road conditions are more frequently subject to change.”
This year's Pikes Peak challenge will take place on June 24 when the Volkswagen team will try to demonstrate its know-how in making EVs by presumably beating the record for battery-powered vehicles. Driving the prototype through the 156 turns of the 12.42-miles-long road (19.99 kilometers) is going to be Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, and we all know a quality driver is just as important as the car itself.
Sadly, this new teaser doesn't reveal anything about the vehicle's technical details, which we're very curious to know more about. Not because it should preview any sort of production model or anything, but simply because we're suckers for purpose-built race cars with impressive specs.
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