Audi hopes to win the 2022 Dakar with its off-road hybrid

Audi’s bet on electric vehicles is becoming more and more a reality. The brand already has the first 100% electric offerings on the market, which means that soon it will be the only way the brand will have to design and introduce new cars.

With a strong presence in motorsport, Audi wants to bring its electric revolution to this field. The next bet appears to be on SUVs, with the brand looking to be the first to win the Dakar Rally in 2022.

It looks like Audi's main bet for 2022 will be the Dakar Rally, which the brand will attack with the new RS Q E-Tron. This will be the brand's first offering to target an SUV as it is not a 100% electric vehicle, but a hybrid that will use an internal combustion engine with high performance and efficiency.

This model arose out of the need to travel long distances at every stage, without wasting time on charging the batteries. They get their load from a running engine that will run at its ideal and most efficient speed (between 4500 and 6000 rpm).

The RS Q E-Tron was built from the ground up and is not based on any of the brand's vehicles. It will be a full bet on the toughest rally of the day, which is also the most demanding for both cars and drivers.

The entire design of the RS Q E-Tron has been designed to get the most out of this platform, not just mechanically. Everything that the brand has in terms of knowledge is used in its design, in the hope that it can later be used to produce electric vehicles.

With the RS Q E-Tron ready, Audi now wants to test and prepare its first off-road proposal. As such, he hopes that his race car will be judged in several rallies in 2021 ahead of Dakar next year.

While this hybrid from Audi is not fully electric, it carries an important responsibility. The company wants to compete to win the largest rally on the planet by demonstrating that they can be a cleaner alternative while maintaining the high level of competition the event demands.