26 July 2021 10:09 am / 1 comment Audi Sport has officially begun testing the new Audi RS Q e-tron ahead of its debut at the upcoming Dakar Rally season, set to kick off in January 2022. With this, the four rings aims to be the first automaker to use an electrified powertrain to compete for overall victory against conventionally-powered rivals. The Dakar Rally is an exhausting long-haul race like nothing else in the world of motorsports. It lasts for two weeks and the daily stages can see participants drive over 800 km at a time. “That’s a very long distance,” says Andreas Roos, responsible for the Dakar project at Audi Sport. “What we are trying to do has never been done before. This is the ultimate challenge for an electric drivetrain.”