Motorsport | VW Withdraw From All Non-Electric Racing Activities

[Paul Jeffrey]

In a surprise move, German manufacturer VW have announced they are to cease any non-electric racing activity at the end of the season.

Sealing the fate of development for the new TCR specification Golf GTI TCR that was set to debut in the hands of customers from the middle of next year, Volkswagen have today dropped the bombshell that the brand are to wind up their involvement in traditional motorsport forms, moving their core business fully into electric racing from 2020.

Already having pulled the plug from the FIA World Rally Championship and World Rallycross, the lack of a new style TCR car will be a blow for many top level teams and drivers, the highest profile of which are undoubtedly the Sebastian Loeb Racing WTCR outfit of Rob Huff, Johan Kirstoffersson, Benjamin Leuchter and Mehdi Bennani, plus the many customer teams competing in a variety of road and rally categories throughout the world.

Although VW have confirmed parts will be available for the current generation cars in the long term, any new customer programs with the brand will be exclusively powered by electric motors;

“Volkswagen Motorsport’s customer sport programme will be electrified,” a statement from Volkswagen read. “The first stage will involve different disciplines, platforms and vehicle types being examined and evaluated.​

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“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.​

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“Customer service and spare parts supply will be guaranteed in the long term.”​

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With the VW announcement now finally confirmed, it will be interesting to see where their current WTCR drivers end up next year - and if the move by VW may have further reaching consequences for the remaining brands under the wider VW Group umbrella.

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Motor Racing is AWESOME!

 

[Koen Verlinde]

Dieselgate still defining German car manufacturer their public image and competition prospects.

Sad, just very sad...mostly for them, cause other brands will take over the void they leave behind while full electric car societies are still at least a decade (according to some), or many decades (imo) away.

 

[TheReaper GT]

To be fair, the car must share 70+% of it's parts with the Cupra and Audi models, so not a big deal. I'm sure the contract between the teams and VW prevents them to be left in the dark and even provide some sort of shortcut to migrate to a brand within the group...

 

[FeltHat]

NOOOOOOOO, my beautiful Golf, my sweet baby

 

[Jordan Dion]

I find this move loser... I mean only the leader dont give up

 

[BeliacosGR]

****ing Electric CRAP! Go away of Motorsport....So pissed of the trend of bullshit...Again hardbroken for my favourite and beloved Manufacturer to go away of another series...

 

[AlexBfromG]

Virtue Signaling and Motorsports.
No. Just No.

 

[KittX]

***cough cough*** new Mustang ***cough***

 

[Rui Santos]

For who was cheating on the emissions, they've turned into an ecologist snowflake... kind of confusing

 

[Michel Bélisle]

List of Volkswagen recent scandals:

• DieselGate
• MonkeyGate
• ClimateGate

If you spend years acting like a tone deaf evil corporation, I understand that, at some point, to preserve shareholder's value, you have to make drastic decisions to try to salvage what is left of your reputation.

I currently own a VW car and I am seriously thinking of getting rid of it on principle.

 

[UNREALARCLIGHT]

Guess the only Volkswagen car worth buying now is the old beatle models.

Or maybe they can get back into the supercar scene bring back somthing like this if they even want to bother with ICE engines anymore : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_W12

 

[Celtic Pharaoh]

I really hope this decision doesn't carry over to the VAG Group (Porsche, Bentley, Audi, Lamborghini etc.) because then I would be well and truly pissed!

 

[UNREALARCLIGHT]

I really hope this decision doesn't carry over to the VAG Group (Porsche, Bentley, Audi, Lamborghini etc.) because then I would be well and truly pissed!

High chance that the big brands like Porsche, Lambo etc; wont go fully electric. They know were the majority of thier customers lie even if it is a small rich niche.

 

[Matt Y]

List of Volkswagen recent scandals:

• DieselGate
• MonkeyGate
• ClimateGate

If you spend years acting like a tone deaf evil corporation, I understand that, at some point, to preserve shareholder's value, you have to make drastic decisions to try to salvage what is left of your reputation.

I currently own a VW car and I am seriously thinking of getting rid of it on principle.

Don't forget the feminist superbowl commercial

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[T.J. Teegarden]

Get tf out of electric too while your at it.

 

[Cheesenium]

Motor Racing is AWESOME!

This line at the end of each article has been extremely gimmick and even tone deaf on articles like this.

How is VW leaving motorsports again is awesome?

 

[Fat-Alfie]

I don't see how this move by VW can be taken seriously (even in a so-called ecological sense) if they are quite happy for Audi, Porsche, SEAT, Lamborghini et al, to continue to race using fossil fuels

Either the VW Group is against using fossil fuels, or they are not. It a bit like becoming vegan, but only on Tuesdays Just a joke...

 

[AccAkut]

Well it seems like VW was christened the electric test lab for all VAG. I sorta see it making sense, VW has been losing its traditional userbase to its cheaper brothers (Seat and Skoda) anyway.
For racing it's not a big deal.. we still have Seat and Skoda to represent TFSI in circuit and rally.

I'm more concerned that electric is still sold to the public as the flower-pleasing green future... as it currently is far from it.

 

[OpenWheela]

I also think that the electric cars are only a temporary trend (thanks greta) as they only get more ecologic than a petrol car, if you drive 40.000 kilometres with it. On the other hand, how do we know the electricity is also "green". And I still think the "dieselgate" was an attack on the german car manufacturers from the americans. I am convinced that they weren't the only ones who "cheated".

 

[Jason Halls]

VW = Clowns. They are a lost company that was once great and is now left grabbing at any of the latest emotive subjects to grab headlines and push their brand. Shame they can't stand simply on the merits of their cars. Says a lot about their cars IMHO. We don't even have electric cars that are more that city dwelling trinkets for the showy few. If electric cars were mainstream I could see a move like this but this is nothing more than a misguided attempt to ingratiate themselves with the simple minded. They don't support the Motorsport I love then there is no room in my driveway for them. Oh how the mighty have fallen.