VW Enters Rebelle Rally For The First Time With Modified ID.4 AWD EV

Volkswagen has joined the ever-growing group of manufacturers entering the Rebelle Rally. The first off-road navigation rally raid in the United States will see Volkswagen entering for the first time with an all-electric ID.4 AWD Pro modified by Rhys Millen Racing and Tanner Foust Racing.

Millen and Foust already have experience off-road racing with the EV, will have been helpful in designing this new racer. They were behind the ID.4 1st Edition RWD that competed in the Norra 1000 race in the Baja peninsula earlier this year.

The new ID.4 AWD Pro being driven by Mercedes Lilienthal and navigated by Emily Winslow for the Rebelle Rally will have modified suspension components, tubular control arms, skid plates, battery protection, as well as a Thule roof rack that holds a spare Yokohama Geolandar A/T tire.

Power will remain stock, though, with a pair of motors offering 295 hp (299 PS/220 kW) and 339 lb-ft (460 Nm) of torque. According to the EPA, the ID.4 AWD Pro has 249 miles (400 km) of range on a full charge – although under racing conditions this may vary.

“The Rebelle Rally is blazing a new trail in motorsports, and presents a tremendous opportunity for us to introduce our ID.4 and electric vehicles to an even greater audience,” said Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, marketing, Volkswagen of America. “Volkswagen helped make off-road competitions popular in the ‘60s, and we’ve only just begun to explore the potential of electrification in off-roading motorsports. We’re really excited to have Mercedes and Emily leading the charge on this experience of a lifetime.”

The wrap that graces the exterior of the ID.4 was designed by Salt Lake City artist Liz Kuz, who was inspired by the desert terrain of the race that starts at the Hoover Dam in Nevada and runs through Arizona before ending, more than 1,500 miles (2,500 km) later, in California.

Mercedes Lilienthal is a freelance journalist who writes for outlets like The New York Times, Forbes Wheels, and Crankshaft Culture, and is the Editor-at-Large for TREAD Magazine. She has participated in the race before, in 2018. Winslow, a project manager, lives in Puyallup, Washington, and finished on the podium in 2018 before racing again in 2019.

The Rebelle Rally lasts eight days and starts on October 7. You can follow the action live on the race’s website.