So we have all seen the new Volkswagen Touareg in all its German glory. In fact that glory blazed its rays on the Middle Kingdom where the global reveal was held.  Yes, Volkswagen chose the biggest market in the world to introduce their best selling SUV, and snubbed the ongoing Geneva Motor Show. What a move!

But here is one thing not many know about that product launch. One of the prototypes introduced at the world premier was driven there over land from Bratislava all the way to Beijing. And who was at the lead of the journey? None other than famous adventurer Rainer Zietlow.

A camouflaged Volkswagen Touareg as it traverses icy plains on its way to its own global reveal in Beijing from Bratislava. (photo courtesy of Volkswagen)

The adventurer and his team spent a total of 21 days on the “Bratslava2Beijing” route tour. For three weeks Zietlow and his team put the new Touareg to the ultimate test.

The route of the “Bratislava2Beijing” project took the Touareg pioneers through eleven countries: Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.

The starting point was the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava, where the Touareg has been manufactured for 16 years. Almost one million units have rolled off the production line since the start of series production in 2002.

“The new Touareg with its numerous driver assistance systems proved to be an absolutely reliable and comfortable car on this world premiere drive”, says Zietlow. “The new Volkswagen SUV is absolutely suitable in every respect for long distances and impressed us in unpredictable road and weather conditions.”

Zietlow and his comrades drove the new Touareg through wintry Europe and deep-frozen parts of Asia. Daily stages, some of which were more than 1,000 kilometres long and temperature ranges of minus 23 to plus 21 degrees Celsius, demanded everything from man and machine, giving the team unforgettable moments at the same time.

The 3rd generation VW Touareg introduced in Beijing for its world debut. (photo courtesy of Volkswagen)

Unique landscapes, hair-raising road conditions, sit-ins with ice fishers. And never feeling out of place: the new Touareg – with camouflaged front and rear before its world premiere.

The journey to the world premiere in Beijing took them along the snow-covered Urals, past frozen Lake Baikal through the expanses of Kazakhstan, the mountains and steppes of Mongolia and finally over Inner Mongolia to the Middle Kingdom.

16,500 exciting kilometres, marking another milestone in the long-distance history of the Volkswagen Touareg. So far Rainer Zietlow has driven a Touareg along the “Panamericana” from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska in eleven days and 17 hours, from Melbourne to St. Petersburg (“Russtralia”) in 17 days and eleven hours, from South Africa to Norway (“Cape to Cape 2.0”) in nine days and four hours and from Magadan (Eastern Russia) to Lisbon in six days and nine hours.