ID. Buzz World Tour Completes Its Latin American Stage After Connecting Markets Across the Region

• A historic journey: The global expedition led by driver and eight-time Guinness World Record holder Rainer Zietlow has already covered more than 80,000 km in an ID. Buzz, visiting more than 77 countries.
• Latin America at the heart of the journey: The tour traveled through markets across the region, bringing together importers, dealers, customers, employees, and media in a major celebration of the Volkswagen brand.
• Next destination: After completing the Latin American stage in Brazil, the ID. Buzz will head to the Middle East to continue its challenge of setting a new world record.

São Bernardo do Campo (Brazil), July 24, 2026 – After traveling across Latin America and taking part in a series of events with customers, dealers, employees, and media along the way, the ID. Buzz World Tour completed its regional stage in Brazil. Led by driver and eight-time Guinness World Record holder Rainer Zietlow, the journey has already covered more than 80,000 kilometers and visited more than 77 countries with one goal: to set the world record for the highest number of countries visited in a single journey with a 100% electric vehicle. Its journey through Latin America strengthened Volkswagen’s presence in the region and highlighted the strength of the brand’s importer network, with each stop providing an opportunity to bring electric mobility closer to local audiences.

The expedition began in 2025 at the headquarters of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany. Since then, Rainer Zietlow and his team have traveled around the world in a production ID. Buzz, demonstrating the potential of electric mobility for long-distance travel. The route covers every continent with road infrastructure, with stops only when necessary for sea crossings and customs procedures.

“The ID. Buzz demonstrates that electric mobility can go far beyond urban areas. With a range of more than 400 kilometers per charge and solutions that allow us to charge the vehicle under different conditions, we have been able to travel through remote regions and connect countries with very different environments. That is the message we want to share with the world,” says Rainer Zietlow.

Although the expedition uses a production vehicle, the ID. Buzz received one technical modification: an additional onboard charger capable of converting alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). This allows the vehicle to be charged in markets where charging infrastructure or standards differ. With extensive experience in international expeditions, Zietlow has traveled through more than 110 countries during his career and spent nearly a year preparing for this new adventure.

A Journey That Connected Latin America

The Latin American stage began in Guatemala and continued through El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.

Throughout the journey, Volkswagen importers turned each stop into an opportunity to bring the brand closer to local audiences. Dealers opened their doors to welcome the expedition, organized events with customers and employees, hosted media activities, and shared the journey through digital content and special activations.

According to Juan Felipe Bedoya, Executive Director of Volkswagen do Brasil for Latin America, the expedition created an important legacy for the entire region.

“Throughout the journey, Rainer Zietlow’s expedition highlighted one of Volkswagen’s greatest strengths in Latin America: a strong importer network that stays close to customers and is committed to creating experiences that go beyond our products. Every welcome organized during the journey demonstrated the passion for the brand and the ability of our importers to bring people together. Completing this stage alongside Rainer symbolizes regional integration and reinforces the legacy we continue to build together in every market where Volkswagen is present,” said Bedoya.

In Guatemala, the welcome event brought together classic Volkswagen models, including the Kombi and Beetle, at an event in Guatemala City. The expedition then continued to El Salvador, where it was welcomed in San Salvador, followed by Honduras, where the local team provided support during its stop in Choluteca. In all three markets, the brand is represented by Continental Motores.

In Costa Rica, Grupo Purdy welcomed Rainer Zietlow in San José. In Panama, Grupo Domingo Alonso hosted the team in Panama City. In Colombia, Porsche Colombia organized events in Cali and Medellín. In Ecuador, Impoventura welcomed the expedition in Quito and created a series of content for the brand’s digital channels. In Peru, Euromotors organized activities in Lima and Arequipa, while Porsche Chile hosted the expedition in Santiago.

After traveling through Argentina, the expedition continued to Uruguay, where Lestido organized a special event in Montevideo, including a tribute featuring the national flag. The final stop before reaching Brazil was Paraguay, where Diesa welcomed the team in Asunción.

The regional stage concluded in Brazil with a visit to the historic Anchieta Plant in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), the first Volkswagen factory built outside Germany. At the “Garagem Volkswagen,” Rainer Zietlow presented key figures from the expedition, shared stories from the journey, and conducted a walkaround of the ID. Buzz for journalists, employees, and guests.

After completing the Latin American stage, the ID. Buzz will be shipped from the Port of Santos. The expedition will then continue through the Middle East and the final stages of its journey toward setting the world record.

Those interested can follow the vehicle’s location and the latest updates from the expedition on the official ID. Buzz World Tour website.

Sponsors of the ID. Buzz World Tour

In addition to the ID. Buzz provided by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the expedition is supported by several global partners. Maxion Wheels, a global leader in vehicle wheel manufacturing; IFM, a specialist in sensors and industrial automation solutions; Giti Tire, a global tire manufacturer; and TÜV Nord, an international leader in inspection and certification services, are among the sponsors supporting this journey around the world.

Countries across the Latin American region welcomed Rainer Zietlow and created opportunities to bring the Volkswagen brand closer to local audiences.