ABT Sportsline to enter the 'Extreme-E' SUV racing series in 2021

As you doubtlessly already know, ABT Sportsline GmbH is a German company that specializes in tuning Volkswagen Group cars, Audis in particular. However, its ambition goes far beyond performance-modding road-legal vehicles. The tuner is an active (and successful) participant of such professional racing championships as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) and Formula E. Now, ABT Sportsline says it wants to take part in a brand-new series dubbed the Extreme-E, which should start in 2021 as a single-make event among all-electric SUVs.

‘[We] love competition, innovation, electric mobility and breaking new ground in the world of motorsport and elsewhere,’ ABT Sportsline CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt said, commenting on the decision to apply for participation.

As a single-make racing series, the Extreme-E will only admit Odyssey 21 SUVs to the starting line. Teams will still be able to alter aerodynamic kits to their preference and even design their own, custom powertrains for the model.

The Odyssey 21, which debuted at the latest Goodwood Festival of Speed, is a purely electric SUV that weighs in at 1,650 kilograms (3,637 lbs), rides on huge Continental tires and accelerates from nothing to 100 km/h (62 mph) in mere 4.5 seconds.

Spark Racing Technology will assemble the first 12 vehicles for the 2021 championship. If the series proves successful, many more cars will eventually line up at the start line.