Audi and Ducati Debut Dakar-Equipped RS Q e-tron and DesertX Models

• Audi and Ducati jointly launched their newest off-roading models at a press event in Sardinia.

• Taking on Cross Country Rally racing, Audi has demonstrated winning innovation and technical features with their new RS Q e-tron.

• Ducati’s DesertX joins the adventure market segment it’s traditionally left untouched.

What’s more fun than loose surfaces and a whole lot of suspension travel? Adding gobs of power to the mix, of course. Audi and Ducati have done exactly that with their new RS Q e-tron and DesertX models, which they recently debuted at an off-roading event on the Italian island of Sardinia.

Audi and Ducati dressed their newborns up in a matching anthracite livery and set them loose on a dirt circuit. Both models promise off-road prowess, and the RS Q e-tron has already developed a rally pedigree of its own. After a rocky start at the Dakar Rally in January, the car secured its first overall win at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March. Driven by Formula-E electric motors at each axle, the car’s 50.0-kWh battery is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four out of Audi’s RS5 Turbo DTM car and produces 671 horsepower. The steel tube chassis weighs just over 4400 lbs and claims a 0-60 mph time of less than 4.5 seconds on loose surfaces.