Volkswagen extends WRC programme until end of 2019
Volkswagen has committed itself to its biggest ever motorsport campaign by lengthening its stay in the World Rally Championship for the next five years
The German brand announced today that it will remain in the WRC until the end of 2019, giving a green light to build a next generation World Rally Car for the 2017 season.
Volkswagen's initial commitment to the series was scheduled to end next year, but the world champions will remain for the long-term.
Team principal Jost Capito said: "The Volkswagen Board's decision to commit to the FIA World Rally Championship until 2019 makes us very proud. Volkswagen has never implemented a long-term motorsport programme on this scale before.
"This faith is a huge motivation for our entire team not to rest on its laurels for a single second, but to continue to show the same degree of passion, determination and commitment to ensure we remain successful in the World Rally Championship."
Capito added that while Volkswagen's decision was made, the company still wanted to see more media coverage from the WRC.
Capito said: "A prerequisite for the success of the championship itself is a format optimised for TV, in order to make rallying even more attractive for the general public.
"We call upon the promoters to work together with the manufacturers to significantly increase the media coverage of the series."
Dr Heinz-Jakob Neuser, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development explained the decision, saying: "Millions of people are passionate about this spectacular sport.
"The close interaction between the production and motorsport development departments at Volkswagen, the sporting contest with our direct rivals in various markets and the huge potential for marketing in the media led to our decision to commit to a long-term involvement in the World Rally Championship.
"The FIA World Rally Championship is a very good platform for Volkswagen to demonstrate the efficiency, dynamics and reliability of its cars to a global public.
"The series is more closely oriented towards the technology used in the latest production vehicles than any other world championship and based on the kind of real conditions that our customers all over the world experience on a daily basis."
Volkswagen leads the manufacturers championship this year while Sebastien Ogier is 33 points ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.
The firm's Polo R WRC has won 16 of the 19 WRC rounds it has started since entering the series in January last year.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The outrageous mountain-climbers that became Pikes Peak legends
Ranking lost WRC legend Richard Burns' 10 best rallies
What to expect from the WRC's venture to the Arctic
Lauda's 1976 German GP helmet to be auctioned at F1 Miami GP
Ocon wants set-up changes after China F1 sprint as "performance left on the side"
MotoGP schedule: When is the next MotoGP race and where will it be held?
Honda MotoGP boss "confused" by "good improvements" not working
How Rovanpera showed his class above his WRC rivals in Kenya
How a new 'old' challenge is capturing the spirit of British rallying lore
How Lappi survived Swedish snow carnage to snap his lengthy WRC drought
The new WRC highs Neuville reached to defeat Monte master Ogier
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments