Audi won the 2024 Dakar Rally with a specially-built car using electric drive, writes Brian Byrne.
The RS Q E-Tron was driven by Carlos Sainz Sr and Lucas Cruz, and brought Audi's first-ever Dakar victory in a race that this year travelled 7,883 kilometres across Saudi Arabia.
It was the fourth Dakar win for the driver duo, who also victorious in 2010, 2018, and 2020.
The RS Q E-Tron is a series plug-in hybrid, with a synthetic petrol engine charging a battery pack running a 383hp electric all-wheel-drive powertrain. Audi claims the synthetic fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 60pc compared to conventional fuels.
