Volkswagen I.D. R sets Tianmen hillclimb record

KUALA LUMPUR: Volkswagen has achieved a new record with its all-electric car, Volkswagen I.D. R, in China. The race car successfully completed a hill climb in just seven minutes 38.585 seconds. The car was driven by Romain Dumas, who is an experienced French auto racing driver.

The race was performed on Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road, which is located within Tianmen Mountain National Park in northwest China. It is filled up with massive cliffs, and there are minimal concrete barricades on the sides. The driver is hugely experienced, and he drove the car to its extreme limits. Sometimes even crossed 220 kmph mark. Volkswagen has already posted the video on its website.

For Volkswagen I.D. R, this is not the first time. It has already held three more records, which include Pikes Peak, Nurburging, and Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb, with the latest one being Tianmen hill climb. Ralf Brandstätter, Volkswagen’s COO said, “A new record on a truly spectacular road – Volkswagen and the ID.R have once again shown what the electromobility of the future is already capable of today. Not only has it proven that electric cars like the ID.R can break established records and set new benchmarks, but the ID.R also shows how emotive and exciting the mobility of the future is.”

In terms of technical figure, Volkswagen I.D. R features a dual-motor powertrain. The two electric motors are located at each axle. The combination churns out a maximum power of 680 PS and 649 Nm of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h in 2.25 seconds. It weighs less than 1,100 kg, and the chassis is developed by Norma, which is a French racing car constructor.

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