06.03.2023The first overall victory in the second race of the Audi RS Q e-tron

Before receiving his eighth trophy since 1996 at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the 56-year-old Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel showed what it means to drive consistently and faultlessly to the end of a rally – even if it was his first for Audi. Peterhansel and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger led the desert rally without making any mistakes from the first stage and were therefore at the top of the podium at the end, despite a puncture. The vehicle with which they achieved this stroke of genius is also the protagonist of today's blog post. We are talking about the Audi RS Q e-tron, which Spark produced in both scales 1:18 and 1:43. The paintwork of the vehicle is on the one hand in subtle gray and white tones, but also uses a bright neon orange on the rims and other smaller applications on the vehicle. The four rings of the car manufacturer from Ingolstadt are so clearly attached that you can see from afar who is starting here. Spark has launched the model in the usual high quality and is more than just based on the role model in terms of the level of detail.

Audi's victory in Abu Dhabi marks the first victory by an electric powertrain vehicle in a desert rally. Even if the extreme temperatures of over 40 degrees pushed the cooling circuits of the drivers and the vehicle to their limits, the new development from Audi withstood its second use under competitive conditions. In January 2022, the RS Q e-tron had already recorded four stage victories at the Dakar Rally. And that after a relatively short development time. Audi only started planning to participate in the Dakar Rally in 2020. After 12 months of development, the first evolutionary stage of the RS Q e-tron could already be presented. The vehicle's shape, which resembles that of a boat hull (the widest part is in the middle and tapers both forwards and backwards), has particular aerodynamic advantages. The chassis consists of a tubular space frame and the body is made of plastic reinforced with carbon and aramid fibers.

The currently used RS Q e-tron is the second development stage of the vehicle from Ingolstadt. The maximum speed is regulated at 170 kph, which should not be a problem on the slopes on which the vehicle is used. Nevertheless, the RS Q e-tron accelerates to 100 kph in less than 4.5 seconds and that on loose ground. This is made possible by a sophisticated drive concept. The 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo engine, which is normally used in the DTM, contributes a part here. This engine, which can achieve an output of between 580 and 640 hp when fully utilized, is throttled down to 272 hp specifically for its purpose. Furthermore, there is a motor-generator unit from the Audi e-tron FE07 from Formula E on both the front and rear axles. Especially for use in the desert, which is known for the fact that there are few electric charging stations there, a third generator unit identical to Formula E was installed, which recharges the 370-kilogram battery while driving. The entire concept has a system output of 358 hp with a weight of 2100 kg without the driver.