Audi RS Q e-tron racer ready for 2022 Dakar battle

Audi Sport has released the first pictures of the Audi RS Q e-tron racer it hopes will bring home the silverware in next year's 2022 Dakar Rally.

The 2022 Audi RS Q e-tron uses a 2.0-litre turbo TFSI engine from Audi's 2020 DTM entrant, combined with three electric motors from a Formula E race car – one on each axle and a third to help regenerate the battery – to cover the big distances involved without a lengthy recharge.

Without any physical connection with the driven wheels, the high-performance combustion engine's sole job is to keep the 50kWh lithium-ion battery topped up.

The two electric motors that drive the axles, meanwhile, are said to produce around 492kW – although that figure might be reduced by future regulations for the electrified class.

Officially, Audi's racing arm declared that it will be satisfied if the RS Q e-tron just finishes the gruelling 8000km-long desert rally, although it's thought the car-maker is aiming to run at the pointy end of the pack with its latest prototype racer.

Not confirmed, but likely, the experimental powertrain could lend inspiration for an electrified road car if Audi Sport doesn't leap straight to pure-electric powertrains with sequels to models like the RS 6, RS Q7, RS Q8 and even the Audi R8.

Designed to operate between 4500-6000rpm, the petrol-powered range-extender is claimed to need a huge 295-litre fuel tank to ensure it completes the longest of stages that exceed more than 800km.

There's no performance claims for the RS Q e-tron, nor any revelations how heavy it will be when full of fuel, but one of the biggest obstacles for engineers to overcome will be offsetting the 370kg mass of the battery pack.

Helping it with positioning key components is the class' minimum rule that any Dakar racer must weigh at least 2000kg.

Audi Sport has announced that testing has already begun and revealed it will enter its rally raid racer at events later this year in the build-up to Dakar.