The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport R will miss out on going head to head with the Ford Bronco R race prototype at this weekend’s Baja 1000, but will be ready to race next year.
The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport R was revealed overnight at the LA Motor Show and will compete in next year’s Baja 1000 in the Class 7 Open Production Unlimited category. The mental-looking Atlas Cross Sport R has been developed with input from VW driver Tanner Foust and New Zealand’s Rhys Millen and it will be the first four-wheel-drive to enter next year’s Baja Class 7 competition.
Details are still thin with the vehicle in heavy development until next year, but VW did reveal the engine is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine borrowed from its WRC program and pumps out around 600hp but will be detuned to to 480hp for an “optimised balance of performance and reliability”. “Racing as a sport has historically been limited to a very privileged group,” said Saad Chehab, Senior Vice President, VW Brand Marketing. “However, Volkswagens competed at the very beginning of Baja racing, and we’re excited to help keep the fun, youthful spirit of the competition alive by way of our Atlas Cross Sport R.”
The 2019 ARX Rallycross champion, Tanner Foust said: “I know what this combination of engine and drivetrain is capable of. I’m really excited to see this bit of Beetle DNA live on in the Atlas Cross Sport R and am itching to get behind the wheel.”
With car makers determined to show their green side at every turn, VW announced it would fund the planting of more than 1000 trees, one for every mile of the race.
