The Audi Q8 e-tron looks all the more desirable now with the Edition Dakar that features a custom livery, taller stance and chunky tyres while the powertrain remains the same. This limited edition electric SUV has been unveiled days before the 2024 Dakar, which will be Audi’s final campaign, kicks off. It will be limited to 1000 units globally.
The Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar is inspired by Audi’s Dakar challenger, the the RS Q e-tron and based on the Q8 55 e-tron quattro. It gets Matrix LED headlights as standard and the driver’s door gets an LED projection onto the ground of ‘Edition Dakar’ when opened. The three paint options available are Siam Beige metallic, Mythos Black metallic, and Magnetic Grey, while only 99 units will be available of the custom livery edition with the black shade as its base. It gets optional virtual side mirrors with cameras that reduce the overall width of the vehicle by 15mm.
The Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar stands 31mm taller than the regular version and gets a ground clearance of 206mm courtesy the air-suspension. It gets eight tyres as standard with the General Grabber AT3 put on and a set of summer tyres on 20-inch wheels with a five-spoke design. The roof-rack is also standard and has a load bearing capacity of maximum 40kgs and can be used to store variety of luggage. The powertrain is the same 114kWh battery connected to twin motors that make 402bhp and 664Nm as the Q8 e-tron 55.
The Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar is pretty much the same from the inside except that it gets the S line interior as standard. This package includes deeply contoured sports seats upholstered in Dinamica microfiber with an optional Audi Sport stitching package in red, a multifunction sport leather steering wheel and stainless steel paddle shifters. It gets an optional 705W 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen Sound System and a second high-voltage heater to increase the heating power for extreme conditions. A new feature on the MMI display is vehicle’s tilt angle and some background images created especially for the Edition Dakar. A convenience key is available as an option, which can be used to open and shut the doors and the trunk via wireless communication between the key and the vehicle.
The Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar is priced at 120,000 euros in Germany, and is probably never going to come to India. If it did, we estimate it would cost approximately ₹1.7crore, ₹50 lakh over the base Q8 e-tron 50.