The Taylor's are almost a third of the way toward breaking Guinness World
Record
HERNDON, Va., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of the world's most fuel
efficient drivers, John and Helen Taylor, are a third of the way through
their attempt to break the current world record for lowest fuel consumption
across the 48 contiguous United States. Today they will be driving into
their ninth day, passing through the northern states of the Great Plains,
including South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. To help them along the
way, they are driving the all-new, 50-state-compliant clean diesel
Volkswagen Jetta TDI, fueled by Shell's best diesel fuel.
"The vehicle seating is extremely comfortable and the power point in
the car enables lots of work en route to be done while preserving power,"
said Helen Taylor. "The car is efficiently driving its way to a fuel
economy world record."
The current Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption on a
nationwide drive is 51.58 miles per gallon. As of end of day, Wednesday,
Sept. 10, the Taylor's have driven more than 2,753 miles through more than
24 states averaging about 58.78 U.S. miles per gallon.
"It has been quite an adventure thus far, the world is getting smaller
-- on day four we met a girl originally from our small town in Australia
now residing in Ohio!" said John Taylor. "We are optimistic we should be
able to break the current world record if we stay on course and keep our
fuel-efficient driving tips in mind."
People are encouraged to e-mail the Taylors along the way at:
fuelacademy@gmail.com with any questions they may have about the tour, the
vehicle or about fuel economy tips and join their "Fan" page on
Facebook.com. As of yesterday, 805 people have e-mailed the Taylors. The
most common question asked was if the Taylors would do a fuel economy
clinic for them.
Approximately 12 official check-in and refueling stops across the
country are included throughout the duration of the drive, which is slated
to conclude Sept. 26 in W. Va. The couple will drive on a counter-clockwise
route and plan to pass through these cities: Chantilly, Va.; Rutland, Vt.;
Toledo, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Spearfish, S.D.; Missoula, Mont.;
Winnemucca, Nev.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Durango, Colo.; Oklahoma City,
Okla.; Mount Vernon, Ill.; Ponchatoula, La.; and, Beckley, W. Va. Some of
the Shell FuelStretch tactics the Taylors will employ on the road include:
avoiding idling and higher speeds, minimizing vehicle drag and performing
regular vehicle maintenance.
The Taylors have made a 26-year career out of driving economically and
conducting workshops globally on fuel-efficient driving techniques. They
have collected 82 world fuel economy and vehicle-related records from
drives around the globe in Australia, Asia, South Africa, Europe, the
Middle East and North America.
Via their Web site, the Taylors will be sharing their personal
experiences on the road. For more information and regular reports from the
road, visit http://www.fuelacademy.com and http://www.media.vw.com . For a complete list
of fuel-saving driving tips, visit http://www.shell.com/us/fuelstretch .
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Volkswagen of America, Inc. recently announced Electronic Stability
Program (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result,
Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an
electronic stability control system on their entire product line -- ahead
of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) deadline
requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control
systems. Volkswagen's ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock
brakes and helps reduce loss of control and rollovers to avoid crashes.
NHTSA predicts nearly 10,000 lives could be saved each year if automakers
included stability systems as standard equipment.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in
Herndon, Va. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in
Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of
passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit,
New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI,
Passat, Passat Wagon, Eos, Tiguan and Touareg through approximately 600
independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.
For photo, please visit http://www.media.vw.com
SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.fuelacademy.com
http://www.media.vw.com
http://www.shell.com/us/fuelstretch http://vw.com
http://www.Facebook.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/948250.html /
CONTACT:
Jim Gill of Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
+1-703-364-7621, james.gill@vw.com
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