New Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar Is A Rugged, Off-Road-Ready EV SUV
The new Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar breaks cover as a jacked-up, off-road-ready version of Audi’s flagship EV SUV.
There’s a new ‘Dakar’ special model in town, and it is quite different from the enigmatic Porsche 911 Dakar we saw last year. Dubbed the Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar, this all-electric SUV boasts some serious additional features that transform it from an urban-dwelling peoplemover into a proper off-roader.
Based on the dual-motor Q8 e-tron 55, the Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar gains inspiration from the RS Q E-Tron, a purpose-built Dakar rally car that's clinched four stage wins during its inaugural Dakar Rally 2022 season.
As a result, this EV SUV gains a lift kit that sees its ground clearance increased by 31 MM, which eventually translates to better approach (20 degrees) and departure (26 degrees) angles, plus a 300 MM wading depth. Moreover, its air suspension setup has also been tweaked for better off-roading performance, while customers will get an additional set of off-road wheels shod in General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres, aside from the standard road-biased ones.
While these improvements are somewhat tame compared to the actual Dakar racer, the Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar still looks the part. Aside from its more rugged body kit, this Dakar-inspired EV SUV also features a wider track, a functional roof rack that supports up to 40 KG of load, and an optional graphics package; the latter is limited to only 99 units. Alternatively, standard hues like Magnetic Gray, Siam Beige, and Mythos Black are also available for customers.
The Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar gets the same dual-motor AWD setup as its donor, the Q8 e-tron 55 Quattro
On the powertrain front, the Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar gets the same dual-motor AWD setup as the stock 55 model, outputting 402 HP (300 kW) in boost mode. On a paved surface, this EV SUV can blast from nought to 100 KM/H in 5.8 seconds, though said time is stretched by 0.1 second when equipped with the off-road wheels. Besides century sprint time, the dirt tyres also shorten the Q8 e-tron’s maximum EV range from 531 KM on normal road tyres to 487 KM.
With orders already opened for its native Germany market, the special Audi Q8 e-tron Edition Dakar is on sale at €120,000 (RM608,206), which expectedly boasts a slight premium over the standard Q8 e-tron’s asking price. Regardless of pricing, Audi hopes that this rugged EV SUV will pave the way for more off-road-ready electric SUVs to come out in the future.
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Written By
Mukhlis Azman
An avid two-wheeler that writes and talks about four-wheelers for a living, while dreaming of an urban transit-laden Malaysia. @mukhlisazman
JPJ Running Numbers
KUALA LUMPUR
VPS9429
SELANGOR
BSH9196
JOHOR
JYH547
PULAU PINANG
PRU2331
PERAK
APB3335
PAHANG
CFD5277
KEDAH
KGC3540
NEGERI SEMBILAN
NEH1677
KOTA KINABALU
SJM6903
KUCHING
QAB2009M
Last updated 24 Sep, 2025
Fuel Price
Petrol
RON 95
RM 2.05
RON 97
RM 3.21
+0.03
RON 100
RM 5.00
VPR
RM 6.23
Diesel
EURO 5 B10
RM 2.93
+0.03
EURO 5 B7
RM 3.13
+0.03
Last updated 18 Sep, 2025
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