VW pulls the plug on motorsport to amp up EVs

December 2, 2020December 2, 2020 John Carey 1966 Views VW, VW ID.R

VW Motorsport is to be shut down and the racing division’s 169-strong workforce transferred to developing production cars, including the German giant’s expanding EV line-up.

“The Volkswagen brand is on the way to becoming the leading provider for sustainable e-mobility,” said Frank Welsch, the company’s R&D chief, in the statement announcing the move.

“To this end, we are pooling our strengths and have decided to terminate the Volkswagen brand’s own motorsport activities. The motorsport workforce will be integrated in Volkswagen AG.”

Ironically, VW’s decision means the death of one of the most exciting and successful EV race cars ever created. The ID.R, dreamed up by VW Motorsport in 2017, went on to set an all-time record at the famed Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado the following year. The car was later driven to an EV lap record at the even more famous Nürburgring.

VW ID.R set Pikes Peak and Nürburgring records

The knowledge of the ID.R team won’t be lost. “The deep technical expertise of the motorsport employees and the know-how gained from the ID.R project will remain with the company and will help us put further efficient models from the ID family on the road,” Welsch said.

Earlier this year VW Motorsport executives were telling reporters that a successor to the ID.R was in the works.

The history of VW Motorsport goes back more than 40 years. Its greatest period of success came in the last decade, with multiple wins in the World Rally Championship and Paris-Dakar rally.

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...