By the time you read this Volkswagen will have completed its around the world in 80 days in the ultra frugal and fuel efficient Lupo 3L TDi, set to rival the original Jules Verne tale and showcase VWs reliability and fuel economy. Volkswagen has sent 2 Polo 3L TDis (a photo car and the actual record car) as well as several Eurovans on the around the world trip. The Lupo 80 Days project was chosen as a way for Volkswagen to show off the world's most frugal car, the Lupo TDi

The Lupo 3L TDi has already set up one significant world record: it is the first mass production car to hit the magic 3 litre mark (with a fuel consumption just under 3 litres per 100 km). With that in mind VW set only 80 days for the Lupo to be driven all round the world, and it must do this using under a 1000 litres of diesel.

VW is well on track to set the record, until the Lupo sent into production in 1999, genuine "3 litre" cars had only appeared as design studies, but the Lupo 3L TDi is a production model, a day-to-day car that matches the safety standards of any other small car. Since its launch a total of 6,300 Lupo 3L TDis have been sold, that's 7% of total Volkswagen sales.

This 80-day endurance run will take the Lupo in eight stages to all five continents of the world. After the relatively simple opening stage that started in Berlin on the famous "Unter den Linden" avenue and finished in Paris, the world's most economical car took to the air and was flown directly to Johannesburg, South Africa.

From Capetown, the marathon transferred to Asia, and demonstrated its economy on visits to Bangkok, Kuala Lampur and Singapore before taking off for Australia.

While in Australia, the Lupo and its tiny caravan made their way across the Outback via the only road that crosses the continent, far away from any 'amenities".

The American stage of the Lupo's journey began in San Francisco, headed south through Los Angeles and continued south into Mexico and down to Mexico City. Heading north and back to the USA, the group made stops in Laredo, Dallas, Tulsa, Memphis, Atlanta, Gainesville, Miami and Jacksonville before its stop today in Washington, D.C. Then onto New York before being air-freighted back to Europe. It will be in London in then onto Paris and Madrid, Lisbon and will then make a further outing to Marrakesh in North Africa.

Back through Spain and France, it will retrace its steps and then set off for Rome, the capital of Italy. Finally, the road book for this marathon journey calls for the Lupo to tour Northern Europe. The route will run from Amsterdam to Oslo and Stockholm, culminating in the "grand finale", the stage from Copenhagen to Wolfsburg. If the Lupo is able to complete the entire journey according to schedule, it will then have covered 33,333 kilometres and will reach the Volkswagen Autostadt in Wolfsburg, on August 3rd, 2000.

The whole endeavour has its own internet site , at http://www.Lupo80days.com, the result should make it into the Guinness Book of Records

all Volkswagen communications and photos reproduced with permission of Volkswagen UK