This wild-looking thing is a production model that will be offered by the brand. Meet the Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar Edition.
Something this outrageous is usually a one-off creation from a brand that will have no ambition of building a version for customers to actually buy, however the Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar Edition will be hitting European showrooms.
Audi has a stellar history with offroad shenanigans and obviously the first car to come to mind is the 80s era Audi Quattro. Audi would also like to remind everyone of its current RS Q e-tron Dakar racecar that will be taking part in the brutal rally in the dunes of Saudi Arabia.
What you see here is a tribute to its offroad adventuring spirit and unlike most wild and wacky creations, this one you can actually purchase (albeit in Europe – no sign of Audi SA bringing this one in). Priced around €120 000 (R2 500 000) in Germany , the Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar Edition is based on the twin-motor 55 e-tron with 300 kW and 664 Nm. If you have the offroad tyres fitted, expect 0-100 kph to come up in 5.9 seconds (5.8 if you go for the standard rubber).
Impressively, Audi supplies both standard road tyres as well as a set of General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres. You lose about 50km of total range, but we’d argue these wheels look far more purposeful. They also add 31 mm of additional ground clearance. For the offroad fanatics, this has some genuine ability with approach, departure and breakover angles rated at 20, 26 and 19 degrees respectively. There’s also 300 mm of water wading depth, which is less than half that of something dedicated like a Ford Ranger.
You have to give it to the brand, however. The Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar Edition looks awesome and it’s great to see interesting and fun creations from a typically conservative brand. You can take your pick of one of three colours and there’s a special decal package too. The roof rack is functional and can take 40kg of cargo, and Audi has tweaked the cabin to separate it from lesser Q8 e-tron derivatives.
Both the Audi Q8 e-tron and facelifted Q8 SUV will be arriving in South African showrooms in 2024.
