This definitely isn’t your everyday Volkswagen ID.4.
Volkswagen of America has confirmed it will be entering a modified version of its ID.4 AWD Pro in an off-road rally raid.
Modified by Rhys Millen Racing and Tanner Foust Racing, it has new suspension components, tubular control arms, fabricated skid plates, additional battery protection, as well as other items needed for the 1400-mile (2253km) rally.
The ID.4 has also been kitted out with a Thule roof rack and light-weight OZ Racing wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tyres.
This modified vehicle is set to make its debut at the Rebelle Rally, an all-female driven and navigated off-road rally, scheduled to run in the deserts of Nevada and California from October 7 to October 16, 2021.
The rally starts in Las Vegas, Nevada and concludes in Glamis, California.
The modified ID.4 AWD Pro will compete in the crossover category at the rally.
It’ll be driven by Oregon-based freelance journalist Mercedes Lilienthal, and navigated by project manager Emily Winslow, who lives in Puyallup, Washington.
It isn’t either lady’s first time competing the Rebelle Rally, with Winslow scoring a podium finish at her first time competing in 2018.
The competition-spec ID.4 AWD Pro features the same 82kWh battery pack and front and rear electric motors as the production model.
These electric motors are capable of producing a total system output of 220kW of power and 459Nm of torque.
In production spec, the ID.4 AWD Pro is said to have an EPA-rated electric range of 400km, whereas the competition-spec model is expected to have less range due to the off-road upgrades.
The bright-coloured wrap featured on the vehicle was designed by Salt Lake City-based artist Liz Kuz, who drew inspiration from the desert terrain throughout the Nevada and California deserts.
This isn’t the first time that Ryan Millen Racing and Tanner Foust Racing have fiddled with an ID.4
Earlier in 2021, the racing teams upgraded an ID.4 1st Edition rear-wheel drive single motor that competed in the NORRA Mexican 1000 baja rally.
This modified single-motor ID.4 helped inform how the racing teams would tackle modifying the ID.4 AWD Pro for the Rebelle Rally.
The Australian launches of the ID.4 and related ID.3 hatch have been pushed to late 2023 as Volkswagen prioritises markets with stricter emissions regulations.
Volkswagen has yet to confirm whether the ID.4 AWD Pro trim will be available locally either, although it’s a possibility.
The Volkswagens will be beaten to market by the Cupra Born, which is based on the Volkswagen ID.3 and shares its MEB platform. It’s expected to touch down in late 2022 or early 2023.
MORE: Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 Australian launch pushed to late 2023
