BERLIN: The fastest Volkswagen Jetta saloon of all time is being fettled by the German carmaker for an attempt to break a land speed record on the Utah salt flats.
The weapon of choice for VW is a specially prepared version of the next-generation Jetta that has not yet been released.
The seventh edition of the conservatively styled saloon made its world debut this year at the Detroit Auto Show.
A tuned VW Beetle is the current record-holder in the BGC/G class of the Southern California Timing Association. The attempt will take place between Aug 11 and 17.
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With more than 500hp on demand, the tricked-out Jetta is expected to reach a speed of more than 335kph. It has a special low-slung chassis, stripped-out, lightweight interior and two brake parachutes at the rear. The modified Jetta uses the 2-litre engine fitted to the Golf GTI and R production models.
"With this attempt at the record, we want to underline the sporting potential of the new Jetta and inspire our customers with the more powerful Jetta GLI," says Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen in North America.
The Jetta is one of Wolfsburg's biggest sellers, with 17.5 million turned out globally since launch in 1979.
