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Audi Q8 E-Tron Edition Dakar Has Decent Off-Road Upgrades

Front 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud
Front 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud

Audi made its return to the Dakar Rally in 2022 with the awesome RS Q E-Tron, a wild-looking dedicated race rig that uses a two electric motors powered by a gasoline four-cylinder engine. While the RS Q E-Tron has yet to see major success in the rally — in its first year the truck’s best finish was ninth, and last year two of the Audis retired and the other came 14th — Audi is set to try again in the 2024 Dakar Rally, which kicks off later this week. To celebrate and bring attention to its efforts, Audi is releasing a new special edition of the Q8 E-Tron called the Edition Dakar.

The Q8 E-Tron Edition Dakar builds off of the “55" version of the Q8 E-Tron, meaning it has a 106-kWh battery pack and two electric motors that put out 402 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque. The air suspension’s height has been raised by 2.5 inches for the standard modes and 1.2 inches in the off-road mode, giving the Edition Dakar better approach and departure angles as well as deeper wading capability, and the tuning has been adjusted for better off-road performance.

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For now the Q8 E-Tron Edition Dakar will only be available in Germany, with order books opening within the next couple months. The Edition Dakar will start at around €120,000, a big jump up from the €87,000 E-Tron on which it’s based and even €20,000 more than an SQ8 E-Tron.

Detail view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron's roof rack
Detail view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron's roof rack
Detail view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron's wheel
Detail view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron's wheel
Dashboard view of an Audi Q8 E-Tron interior
Dashboard view of an Audi Q8 E-Tron interior
Front 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud
Front 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud
Rear 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud
Rear 3/4 view of a black Audi Q8 E-Tron driving through mud

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