Rainer Zietlow Visits Saudi Arabia after smashing a new record for the longest distance traveled in a Volkswagen Touareg

Volkswagen Saudi Arabia and Elite Automotive Alliance, the new Volkswagen dealer in KSA, hosted a press conference in Riyadh on December 17 with the adventurer Rainer Zietlow who spoke about the success of his record breaking experience using the Volkswagen Touareg.

The Adventurer and record breaker Rainer Zietlow described the most spectacular project of his career, driving from the South African Cape Agulhas to Nordkapp in northern Norway in less than ten days using the Volkswagen Touareg, which was amplified with sensors and electronics to aid him on his journey. Rainer’s Touareg was also on display for the attendees to explore during the press conference. Zietlow was also driving for a good cause, for every driven kilometre, 20 cents went to an SOS Children's Village in South Africa, which Zietlow visited in the beginning of his trip.

This voyage cements the strength of Volkswagen cars and the essence of the brand that continues to seek progress and defy convention in every way possible, Volkswagen also continuously strives to find new innovative methods to portray their products, merits, and appeal to the brand’s loyal enthusiasts.

Rainer Zietlow undertakes this journey with a Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI, which was slightly modified for this world record drive to keep the pauses at a minimum, the series Touareg was in motion around the clock apart from refuelling and border stops. The main sponsors, Hewlett Packard and Intel, provide additional features, which transformed the car into a four-wheeled innovation-laboratory. 

This experience is a triumph for Volkswagen as it highlights the power and stability of its products. The Touareg endured various difficulties and challenges and portrayed an ease of adaptation to the critical situations it faced. A major part of the credit goes to the talented experienced Volkswagen engineers. 

Rainer Zietlow commented saying, “Driving from cape to cape in record breaking time was a unique challenge, there were many risks and obstacles which made every day an amazing experience. And it is an honour for me to be here in Saudi Arabia again and talk about my accomplishments and get the chance to experience this great city that combines cultural heritage with a modern refinement.”

Adel Barja, Marketing and Public Relations Director of Volkswagen Saudi Arabia, commented saying, “It is with great honour that we welcome, for the second time, a great adventurer such as Rainer Zietlow, and we are excited for this year’s unique presentation. We are proud of our brand and the Touareg that aided Rainer in the challenges and hindrances he encountered during his journey and proved its durability and strength in all stages of the trip. We are thrilled to see what future adventures await Rainer Zietlow and we wish him all the best in his career.

The conference was held in cooperation with several significant companies, including Goodyear, 3M and BASF and who have significantly contributed to the success of this mission.