Audi’s Dakar Imitation – Not Quite a Pro.
Audi has a reverence for incredible special editions, and this time they’ve selected the Audi Q8 e-tron SUV. This all-electric SUV was revitalised in March of 2024 and is Ingolstadt’s top-selling model. The Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar is rumoured to be inspired by the RS Q e-tron, as this rally raid Dakar participant has been slowly perfected by Audi over the recent couple of years.
This exclusive rendition is based on the Q8 55 e-tron model, offering two electric engines to power all four wheels with up to 402hp and 490lb-ft of torque. Electric energy comes from a roomy 114kWh battery (106 kWh usable), providing an EPA cycle distance of close to 285 miles.
Now that the fundamentals are covered, let us take a look at what has altered.
The decals for this car are selectable, and exclusively can be combined with Mythos Black metallic paint. But without them, it might not be easy to identify the alterations to this particular edition. Here, your options widen with Siam Beige metallic and Magnetic Gray; however, it should be noted that the wrap-around versions will only be produced in a limited 99 units, out of the 1,000 total from the special edition.
No matter what, all variants provide an extra 31 millimeters (1.2 inches) of ground clearance and are fitted with “off-road ready” General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tires for a more rugged appearance and performance.
One may have taken note of the roof carrier, which is reported to be precisely the same one that accompanies the Porsche 911 Dakar. By the way, that’s a far more familiar vehicle (2,500 units) than this elevated electric SUV, yet we won’t prolong the contrasts much further other than saying that the Q8 e-tron version Dakar is additionally significantly more affordable, despite being still costly.
The base cost of this vehicle is an impressive €120,000 (roughly $130,000), and if you want to add the special decal set, you’ll need to shell out another €10,000 (approximately $11,000). Fortunately, you don’t have to agonize over choosing between the two because the special edition is exclusive to Europe only.
