Audi's Double Triumph: Dakar Rally Victory and the New SQ8 e-tron Unveil

After three exhausting attempts, Audi won the 2024 Dakar Rally with the RS Q e-tron, owing the win to the Spanish pair: navigator Lucas Cruz and driver Carlos Sainz.

This also marks the very first time a vehicle with an electric drivetrain has won the event, a distinctively low-emission prototype with an energy converter, an electric drive, and a high-voltage battery.

This off-roader is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (from an Audi DTM racecar), which plays the role of a generator for the battery pack that provides power to the electric motors driving each wheel. Total setup output is blazing 670 HP, but sheer grunt is not what made the difference.

Audi tried to steal the Dakar Rally spotlight on two prior occasions. In 2022, the enormous damage ruined any chances for a win. Moving towards the 2023 beginning, Audi reinvented the car and started testing the new version with improvements based on the lessons learned in the 2022 event. However, the past year's event didn't turn out well due to several unexpected issues, including suspension damage, rolls, tire loss, and crashes.

Evidently, Audi managed to shine several times, for instance, with a stage win, but it still had to put in a lot of effort to guarantee its electric buggy was sturdy amply for the big win, and that's finally happened thanks to yet more improvements carried out late last year.

What makes the victory sweeter is the fact that Cruz and Sainz were in the lead since the sixth of 12 stages.

Oliver Hoffmann, Audi's member of the board responsible for technical development shared with us its emotional message: "With our revolutionary electrified drive, we have overcome one of the biggest challenges in motorsport after just three years."

The upcoming Audi SQ8 e-tron will represent the sum of all lessons learned during this three-year term and we can tell for sure it’s going to be revolutionary. 

Audi SQ8 will be the living proof that even against the world's best combustion creations, an electrified machine can dominate.

Regrettably, 2024 is the last year for Aud’s Dakar program, as it will focus more on its Formula 1 effort for 2026.