GRC Beetle will debut at the Summer X Games in Texas in June

The American arm of Volkswagen will partner with Andretti Autosport to form the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team. The team will run two cars in the Global Rallycross series (GRC) with drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed at the wheel.

The team will initially compete with modified Polo rally cars, built on the chassis that won the 2013 World Rally Championship (WRC), but will switch during the season to the GRC Beetle. The all-wheel drive rallycross car is the ultimate expression of the third generation Beetle and will feature more than 560bhp from its turbocharged TSI engine.

Rallycross is the fastest growing form of motorsports in the U.S., where the cars are pitted against each other, and the clock, in a series of heats on a closed course that's usually a mixture of dirt and pavement, with a 70-foot jump.

Tanner Foust was the GRC champion in 2011 and 2012 and runner-up in 2013. He will pilot the Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle. Foust is also widely recognised for hosting the U.S. version of Top Gear along with his rally driving skills, and for his stunt driving.

Scott Speed will be racing the 7UP entry for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team. As well as being a standout in the 2013 GRC Series, winning two races and finishing fifth overall, Speed has competed at the very pinnacle of motorsports - including Formula One for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006 and 2007 and NASCAR between 2008 and 2013.