Giti Tire steers 'VW ID.Buzz World Tour' into record books

HANNOVER, Germany, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Giti Tire's GitiSynergy^H2, fitted to a VW ID.Buzz, ensured Rainer Zietlow safely navigated 99,800km and by visiting 92 countries in a row set a new world record for a continuous global tour using a battery powered electric vehicle.

Partnering with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV), the expedition, led by professional globetrotter, Rainer, visited Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South and North America and the Middle East over 16 months.

The mammoth journey started in Hannover, Germany on July 1, 2025 with Giti focusing on safety and reliability, all while assisting Rainer by connecting him to its global support network.

Giti Tire chose to use two sets of GitiSynergy^H2 tyres, swapped at the halfway point of the journey, to ensure the world record itinerary stayed on track. Final inspection of the equipped tyres showed over half the total tread depth remaining.

The VW ID.Buzz was fitted with size 235/60 R18 on the front and 255/55 R18 on the rear axles, as per the Original Equipment (OE) agreement which commenced with VWCV in September 2023.

The AA European label rated tyres utilise a new generation of tread compound to achieve significantly reduced rolling resistance without compromising on wear and the key safety elements of wet and dry braking and handling.

The tour ended at the IAA Transportation in Hannover on September 14, 2026 when Rainer was presented with a certificate officially recognising the new EV world record.

Rainer said: "Having driven almost 100,000kms I have no hesitation in saying the GitiSynergy^H2 tyres deliver a premium quality driving experience.

"Excellent rolling resistance gave us around 400 kilometers between every charge and we drove through some insanely heavy rain, especially in South East Asia, where there was zero aquaplaning. All this was achieved with a top tier tyre. Amazing."

Chris Bloor, Executive Director at Giti Tire, added: "We wanted to demonstrate our advanced EV tyre technology by proving performance under real-world conditions and showing long-term commitment to durability and safety, as well as innovation and sustainability. This has been proven, again."

Giti Tire also entered the record books when the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme (U9X) achieved a top speed of 496.22km/h on GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro tyres, making it the fastest production car on the planet.