Audi's return to top-level motorsport after their Le Mans withdrawal was announced on 30 November 2020, when the manufacturer revealed plans to compete in the Dakar Rally. On 11 December 2020, Q Motorsport was confirmed as the Audi factory team structure that would manage the programme. The RS Q e-tron was publicly unveiled on 23 July 2021, built under Audi's e-tron electric performance sub-brand and engineered specifically for the demands of desert rally raid competition.
The powertrain architecture departs fundamentally from conventional rally raid vehicles. Rather than a straightforward combustion engine driving the wheels, the RS Q e-tron uses two electric motors sourced from Audi's Formula E programme — one on each axle — delivering a combined output of under 288 kilowatts (386 hp). A TFSI combustion engine rated at approximately 200 kilowatts (270 hp) runs as an energy converter, charging the onboard batteries at up to 220 kilowatts (300 hp) while driving. No mechanical connection exists between the combustion engine and the driven wheels; all propulsion is electric.
The RS Q e-tron made its competitive debut at the 2022 Dakar Rally. Three crews were entered: Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger, and Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist. The debut was characterised by pace but plagued by navigation errors on the opening day, costing all three crews significant time. Mechanical issues also arose during the event. Nevertheless, all three drivers won at least one stage, with Sainz winning Stage 11 to give the car a total of four stage victories on its first appearance.
The first outright event victory came at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, where Peterhansel and Boulanger won, marking both the RS Q e-tron's maiden rally raid win and the first ever rally raid victory for an electric vehicle.
In 2022, Audi introduced the upgraded E2 variant. The revised car addressed weight and aerodynamic refinements, and continued the programme through the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Dakar Rally.
At the 2024 Dakar Rally, Carlos Sainz guided the RS Q e-tron to its first Dakar overall victory. Technical director Dr. Pascali Leonardo described the result as "the best professional experience of my life."
The RS Q e-tron's driving character is notably different from traditional diesel-powered rally raid machinery. The instant torque delivery of the electric motors and the structural rigidity required for the car's battery and drivetrain packaging produces an extremely physical driving experience. Stéphane Peterhansel, one of the most decorated Dakar drivers in history, described driving the car at the 2023 Dakar Rally as "a boxing match from start to finish," citing concerns over crew concussion risk from the sustained harshness transmitted through the cockpit.
The RS Q e-tron occupies a unique position in rally raid history as the first electrified vehicle to win a major rally raid event, achieving that milestone at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Its Dakar victory in 2024 demonstrated that a hybrid-electric architecture could be competitive across the full duration of one of motorsport's most demanding events, covering thousands of kilometres through extreme desert terrain. The programme represents Audi's second distinct chapter in top-level motorsport, following their dominance of the Le Mans 24 Hours with diesel-electric hybrid LMP vehicles in the 2000s.
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