Kumho Tyres powers Volkswagen’s Guinness World Record on an epic Australian drive

Volkswagen’s 70th anniversary in Australia has been marked in extraordinary style, with adventurer Rainer Zeitlow capturing a Guinness World Record for the largest GPS image created by a vehicle. The feat was achieved during an epic 23,849km journey around Australia, supported by Kumho Tyres and its HP71 EV tyres.

Driving the all-electric Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, Zeitlow and co-driver Marius Biela traced “70 years of VeeDub” across the map of Australia before completing a full circumnavigation of the country. The journey showcased the performance and durability of the Kumho HP71 EV tyres, which are standard equipment on the Volkswagen ID.4 in Australia. Remarkably, the entire trip was completed with just one minor, easily-repaired puncture.

A record-breaking adventure

The Guinness World Record journey spanned seven weeks and took the team through some of Australia’s most demanding conditions. From sand and snow to intense heat, flooding rain, and gravel roads, the ID.4 GTX proved its mettle alongside Kumho’s tyres. The journey covered New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, pushing both the vehicle and its tyres to their limits.

Zeitlow praised the Kumho HP71 EV tyres, which are engineered specifically for electric vehicles, for their versatility and resilience throughout the trip.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed by the performance of the EV-specific HP71 tyres from Kumho, which proved they were not just great on bitumen but fantastic on every surface in Australia,” said Zeitlow.

“They performed well on every kind of surface, and we had no problems at all, which meant we didn’t have to change a thing or worry about anything in 24,000km, so we could just drive and concentrate on our journey,” he said.

Celebrating milestones

The record-breaking journey coincided with Volkswagen’s Australian launch of the ID.4 and its sibling, the ID.5, solidifying the brand’s commitment to electric mobility Down Under.

David Basha, Kumho Tyres Australia’s Director of Sales and Marketing, expressed pride in the partnership.

“The performance of the Kumho HP71 EV tyres really speaks for itself, but to cover that territory and those conditions with only one small, later repaired puncture, over 23,849kms is a pretty impressive performance,” said Basha.

What’s next for Zeitlow and Kumho?

With this Guinness World Record under their belt, Zeitlow and his team set to work preparing for another Australian adventure. Their next mission: to tackle Australia’s 10 deserts in a Volkswagen Amarok Style V6, again equipped with Kumho tyres.

How did they go? Stay tuned!