German automaker Audi has announced that it will be competing in the famous Dakar Rally in 2022 with a prototype. As per the company, the alternative drive concept combines an electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter for the first time. Audi also says that cross-country rallying will be the spearhead of the factory motorsport commitment in the future.
“A multifaceted commitment to motorsport is and will remain an integral part of Audi’s strategy,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management and Board of Management Member for Technical Development and Product Lines at AUDI AG. “We want to continue demonstrating the brand’s slogan ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’ in international top-level motorsport in the future and develop innovative technologies for our road cars. The toughest rally in the world is the perfect stage for this.”
After many international successes in a wide range of categories, Audi is returning to rallying, which marked the beginning of the brand’s successful history in motorsport. From 1981, the Audi quattro revolutionized rallying.
The car from Audi that will compete at Dakar will be electric. The energy required for this comes from a high-voltage battery, which can be charged as required while driving via an energy converter in the form of a highly efficient TFSI engine. The aim, says the company, is to permanently improve the performance of the electric drivetrain and the battery in the years to come. The experience gained in this process will then be incorporated into the further development of future electrified production models.
Audi is the first car manufacturer that has committed to developing a viable alternative drive concept for the Dakar Rally. In 2012, Audi achieved the first victory of a hybrid racing car in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Audi R18 e-Tron quattro remained unbeaten in the world’s most important endurance race three times in a row.
Since 2014, Audi has also been successful in fully-electric racing with Formula E. First in a supporting role for the team of its longstanding partner ABT Sportsline, and from 2017 with full factory involvement. After six years, the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team is the most successful entry in the history of Formula E with a total of 43 podium finishes, including twelve victories. Special highlights include winning the drivers’ title in 2017 and the teams’ title in the first season on a factory level in 2018.
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The Audi e-Tron is a bestseller in many markets. With the RS e-Tron GT, Audi will soon bring its sporty spearhead onto the road. And as early as 2025, around 40 per cent of sales are expected to be achieved with purely-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. “This is why we are taking the next step in electrified motorsport by facing the most extreme conditions. The many technical freedoms offered by the Dakar Rally provide a perfect test laboratory for us in this respect,” added Duesmann.
The Dakar Rally will replace Audi’s factory involvement in Formula E, which will no longer be continued in the form of an Audi factory team after the 2021 season. The use of the newly developed Audi powertrain by customer teams will remain possible beyond next year.
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