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Audi RS Q E-Tron: Range-extender hybrid Dakar Rally challenger revealed

Meet the range-extender hybrid car that will return Audi to the rallying world after a 35-year hiatus, with a Dakar win in its sights.


The Audi RS Q E-Tron has been revealed, as the German manufacturer's factory-backed return to rallying after a 35-year hiatus.

Built to take on the 2022 Dakar Rally field next January, the new RS Q E-Tron aims to be the first vehicle to win the long-distance event with an electrified (hybrid or electric) powertrain – all while promoting Audi's range of plug-in hybrid and all-electric road cars.

Powering the racer is an high-performance 'range-extender' hybrid system, which powers the wheels through a pair of electric motor-generator units (MGUs) derived from Audi's Formula E race car – one on each axle.

Providing energy for the electric motor is a detuned 200kW version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the brand's DTM touring car, which runs between 4500 and 6000rpm to serve as a generator to charge the bespoke 50kWh high-voltage battery.

A third electric MGU is also fitted to help transfer energy from the petrol engine to the battery.

The system's combined output is said to be 500kW – though Audi stresses the output of the homologated race car that enters the rally has yet to be finalised by race organisers.

Built around a steel tube frame chassis (with carbon-fibre body panels), the RS Q E-Tron rides on double-wishbone independent suspension front and rear, with 17-inch wheels wrapped in 37-inch (940mm) BFGoodrich tyres.

Audi claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of less than 4.5 seconds on loose surfaces, towards a race-regulated electronically-limited top speed of 170km/h.

The RS Q E-Tron's design is said to trade the "rather boxy" appearance of other Dakar racers for a more coupe-inspired look inspired by road-going Audi Sportback SUVs, with angular body pens inspired by the iconic Audi Quattro rally car of the 1980s.

The 'side blades' behind the front doors channel the R8 supercar, while LED headlights and tail-lights feature on each end.

Ahead of the 2022 Dakar Rally on January 2-14, the RS Q E-Tron will prove its reliability through an "intensive test program" and participation in a selection of cross-country rallies over the next five months.

Piloting the three cars set to be entered in next year's Dakar event will be three teams of drivers and co-drivers, with two-time World Rally champion and three-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz (Sr), two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekström, and 14-time car and motorcycle Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel set to get behind the wheel.

"Audi has always chosen new and bold paths in racing, but I think this is one of the most complex cars that I have ever seen," said Sven Quandt, team principal of Q Motorsport, the outfit responsible for running Audi's Dakar cars.

"The electric drivetrain means that a lot of different systems have to communicate with each other. Besides reliability, which is paramount in the Dakar Rally, that’s our biggest challenge in the coming months."

The 2022 Dakar entry will represent Audi's first factory-backed rally event since the Sport Quattro S1 developed for ill-fated Group B regulations in 1986.


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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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