If you had any doubts Audi has transformed into a crossover company that also sells cars, you can put those to rest as the automaker has teased an extreme model which will compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally.
Billed as an “innovative prototype,” the unnamed model will have an electric powertrain with a high-voltage battery pack. The vehicle will also be equipped with a “highly-efficient energy converter.”
The company was tight-lipped on specifics, but confirmed the energy converter is a TFSI engine that acts as a generator to recharge the vehicle while driving. That means the model is a range-extended electric vehicle similar to the BMW i3 REx.
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That’s where the similarities end as the teaser image shows the Dakar racer will have slender headlights and an illuminated grille. We can also see a rakish windscreen, a coupe-like greenhouse and massive off-road tires.
While it sounds odd that Audi will be competing in the Dakar Rally, the company described it as “one of the greatest challenges in motorsport” and said their experience will be “incorporated into the further development of future electrified production models.”
Unfortunately, it also means the end to Audi’s involvement in Formula E. The company will call it quits after the 2021 season following the “most successful entry in the history of Formula E with a total of 43 podium finishes, including twelve victories” thanks to the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team.
Speaking of motorsport, Audi Sport Managing Director Julius Seebach said they’re “intensively preparing to enter the new sports prototype category LMDh with its highlight races, the Daytona 24 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours.” He added, “motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi” despite the end of their involvement in Formula E.
