Data is still scarce, but the information is official. From 2022 onwards, Audi will race in the Dakar, having even already revealed a teaser of the prototype with which it intends to “attack” the most famous off-road race in the world.
According to the German brand, the debut on the Dakar will be made with a prototype that “combines electrical mechanics with a high-capacity battery and a high-efficiency energy converter”.
The “high-efficiency energy converter” that Audi refers to is a TFSI engine that will work as a range extender, charging the battery. Although we already know all this, information such as battery capacity, the autonomy offered by it or the power of this prototype are still unknown.
For Markus Duesmann, chairman of the board of directors, Audi will race in the Dakar as this is “the next step in electrified motorsport”. In his view, the extreme demand that vehicles are subject to in the test is the “perfect testing laboratory” to develop the electrification solutions that the brand intends to apply to its models.
Return to Le Mans and farewell to Formula E
Although Audi's debut on the Dakar captures most of the attention, the German brand's commitment to motorsport is not limited to all terrain.
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In this way, the brand with four rings is getting ready to return to endurance competitions, more precisely at the 24 hours of Le Mans — having won 13 victories between 2000 and 2014 — and Daytona, with plans to enter the LMDh category. For now, there is still no date set for this return.
Julius Seebach, director of Audi SportThe most important message for our fans is that motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi
Finally, Audi will abandon Formula E after the 2021 season. Present in the category since 2014, there, Audi has won 43 podiums so far, 12 of which corresponding to victories, and was even champion in 2018, now planning to replace the official investment in this category by betting on the Dakar.