Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar Special Edition Borrows Parts From A Porsche 911

Audi loves a good special edition, and the latest is applicable to the Audi Q8 e-tron SUV, Ingolstadt's best-selling electric SUV that was refreshed for 2024 in March last year. The Q8 e-tron edition Dakar is said to be inspired by the RS Q e-tron, the rally raid Dakar contender that Audi has been continually refining over the last couple of years.

This special edition is based on a Q8 55 e-tron, which means two electric motors powering all four wheels with a maximum of 402 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. Juice comes from a 114kWh battery (106 kWh usable), meaning around 285 miles of range on the EPA cycle.

Now that the basics are out of the way, let's see what's changed.

The decals all over the car are optional and can only be combined with Mythos Black metallic paint, but without them, the changes that this special edition has undergone might fly under the radar. At least then, your choices expand to include Siam Beige metallic and Magnetic Gray, but we should mention that the wrapped versions are limited to 99 units within the overall special edition production run of 1,000 units.

Regardless, all examples get more ground clearance to the tune of 31 millimeters (just over 1.2 inches) and «off-road ready» General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tires for a more aggressive look and feel.

You may have also noticed the roof rack, which is reportedly the exact same one that you can get with the Porsche 911 Dakar. Incidentally, that's a more common car (2,500 units) than this lifted electric SUV, but we're not going to take the comparisons any further besides to say that the Q8 e-tron edition Dakar is also considerably cheaper, albeit still pricy.

In «regular» form, pricing starts at €120,000 (roughly $130,000), and the special decal set adds another €10,000 (approximately $11,000) to the final cost. This is a vehicle that, in base form, starts at under $75,000, but at least you don't have to make that choice because the special edition is for Europe only.