Maxion Wheels and Challenge4 Set New Guinness World Record for High-Altitude Drive in an All-electric Vehicle
23.5.2022 19:37:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Maxion Wheels, the world’s largest wheel manufacturer, and long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow and the Challenge4 team, successfully set a new Guinness World Record for driving to the highest altitude in the all-electric VW ID.4 GTX. Equipped with Maxion’s robust, lightweight and sustainable steel wheels, the team drove to the top of Bolivia’s Uturuncu volcano, 5,816 meters above sea level, breaking the previous record set in 2020 by approx. 45 meters of altitude.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220523005816/en/
New highest altitude by an electric vehicle Guinness World Record is set by Maxion Wheels and Challenge4 with the ascent of a VW ID.4 GTX riding on Maxion steel wheels to the top of Bolivia's Uturuncu volcano. (Photo: Business Wire)
Guinness World Records today presented Challenge4 with the official certificate during a press conference at the German Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia. “This world record underscores the performance capabilities of electric vehicles such as the VW ID.4 GTX," said Rainer Zietlow, Challenge4 Director. "On the difficult terrain we encountered getting to the top of the Uturuncu volcano, robust wheels were crucial for a safe journey. Maxion Wheels' lightweight, 18-inch steel wheels kept the vehicle on track ensuring maximum electric vehicle (EV) range and performance." With his world record drive, Zietlow also supports the local SOS Children's Village in La Paz.
Maxion Wheels actively supported the high-altitude challenge from the very beginning, underlining its commitment to sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions. As a leading wheel supplier for EV programs and new mobility fleets around the world, the Company offers many sustainable wheel options made with greener materials, less energy and more efficient designs and processes, supporting the automotive industry’s transition towards carbon neutral.
“Congratulations to Rainer and the Challenge4 team for setting a new Guinness World Record; Maxion Wheels is proud to be part of this record-breaking moment,” said Mark Gerardts, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing at Maxion Wheels. “Electric cars such as the VW ID.4 GTX are enabling a generation shift in vehicle design and sustainability, driving demand for greener wheel options. We believe low-carbon steel wheels can play an important role in the shift to zero-carbon mobility as the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly wheel option.”
For many mobility options, Maxion’s steel wheels are the preferred solution. With a comparable weight to aluminum, steel wheels are meeting vehicle manufacturers need for lighter components. And with six times lower CO2 production compared to conventional aluminum wheels, steel wheels offer additional significant sustainability benefits.
Learn more about the high-altitude Guinness World Record drive at vwid4-highaltitude.com.
ABOUT MAXION WHEELS
Maxion Wheels, a division of Iochpe-Maxion S.A., is the world’s largest steel and aluminum wheel supplier. Our low-carbon expertise and energy-efficient designs help cars, buses, trucks and trailers achieve real-world carbon footprint reductions. Maxion is proud of its diverse global teams and inclusive culture that powers every advance we make.
Maxion Wheels works with global vehicle manufacturers on wheels for personal mobility, transportation, agriculture, defence and off-highway applications. Our more than 10,000 employees operate out of 30 locations in 14 countries on five continents, including state-of-the-art technical centers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Together we produce more than 50 million wheels a year, making us the world’s largest producer and supplier of wheels. To learn more, please visit Maxion Wheels’ website at maxionwheels.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220523005816/en/
Contact information
Adrienne Hattingen
Global Marketing and Communications Supervisor
Maxion Wheels
Mobile: +49 172 8602873
Email: adrienne.hattingen@maxionwheels.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
LTM Launches BlueVerse™ RightLogic to Address Cyber Risk in AI Era6.7.2026 12:12:00 EEST | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, has launched BlueVerse™ RightLogic, a cybersecurity assessment and risk assurance framework designed to help enterprises identify, assess and remediate cyber exposure as they accelerate AI adoption. AI is now capable of autonomously identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities, while exposure across infrastructure, applications and supply chains continue to expand. This has elevated cyber risk from a technology concern to a board-level priority, with enterprises struggling to maintain visibility and respond at the speed of emerging threats. BlueVerse RightLogic addresses this gap by providing a unified, business-aligned view of enterprise exposure and enabling a shift from fragmented, point-in-time assessments to continuous, evidence-led risk management. The framework combines an end-to-end AI and cyber exposure assessment engine with a structured execution model that spans from assessment to remediation. At the cor
Media Release: Financial Worries Rise and Match Health Concerns as Cost-of-Living Pressures Mount in 20266.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Households around the world are feeling the strain of the rising cost of living, with financial pressure increasingly shaping everyday choices and long-term confidence. Finances and health are now tied as the top global worries, at 48% each, followed by concerns about the future at 35%, according to consumer surveys in 10 countries published in “The Allianz 3am Report 2026.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260703907741/en/ Allianz / IPSOS “What Worries the World” Study, April – June 2026. Financial worries, which include concerns about “rising cost of living” (71%) and “insufficient income” (51%), increased in seven out of eight countries surveyed year over year, moving up in the ranking of top three worries in Brazil, France, Germany, and the U.K., while remaining stable in Italy. The strongest increases are observed in Australia and Indonesia, where financial concerns have remained the leading worry, as well
HAZAMA ANDO Becomes an Official Partner in Helical Fusion’s Commercial Fusion Initiative and Signs MoU Toward Construction of the Fusion Pilot Plant6.7.2026 09:40:00 EEST | Press release
Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (“Helical Fusion”), a Japan-based fusion energy startup developing fusion power plants, and HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION (“HAZAMA ANDO”), a long-established Japanese general contractor, today announced that HAZAMA ANDO has become an Official Partner in the Helix Program, Helical Fusion’s commercial fusion initiative. The two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) to collaborate toward the construction of Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant targeted for the 2030s. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706176052/en/ (L-R) Kazuhiko Kuniya (Representative Director and President, HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION) and Takaya Taguchi (Co-Founder and CEO, Helical Fusion Co., Ltd.) at a press conference in Tokyo on July 6, 2026. Fusion energy has the potential to shift the foundation of energy from natural resources to advanced technology by reproducing, on Earth, the sam
Sofinnova Partners Announces Myricx Bio Agrees to Be Acquired by Novartis6.7.2026 08:15:00 EEST | Press release
Sofinnova Partners, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm, today announced that its portfolio company Myricx Bio (“Myricx”) has reached agreement to be acquired by Novartis, for up to $1.5 billion including $1.1 billion cash upfront plus potential milestone payments. This marks Sofinnova Partners' seventh exit in three years. Myricx Bio is a UK-headquartered transatlantic biotech company focused on the discovery and development of a novel class of payloads for antibody-drug conjugates. The company's platform is built around next-generation N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTi) payloads, a differentiated mechanism of action designed to address the narrow therapeutic windows and tolerability challenges that have limited earlier generations of ADCs, such as TOPO-1 and tubulin inhibitor payload classes. Myricx Bio's two lead ADC assets, directed towards the established targets B7-H3 and HER2, are designed to bring this differentiated approach to patients across a broad ra
Global New Material International Wins Technology Innovation Best Practice Award at Sino-European ESG Conference6.7.2026 06:59:00 EEST | Press release
Global New Material International Holdings Ltd. has received the Technology Innovation Best Practice Award at the Third Sino-European Corporate ESG Best Practice Conference recently in Mainz, Germany, in recognition of its efforts to advance sustainable development through material innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260705533555/en/ Thorsten Giehler (L), Director of the Economic, Social Development and Employment Division of The German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), delivered the award to Zhou Fangchao, Executive Director and Vice President of Global New Material International. The annual conference, initiated by the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt and jointly organized with Chinese and European partners, recognizes corporate best practices in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. This year's event brought together government officials, business leaders and exper
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom