Audi RS Q e-tron wows Paris with Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger
- Prototype with electric drive attracts high attention
- Tour of French capital along famous landmarks
From the desert to the city: Audi is not only using the forward-looking drive technology of the RS Q e-tron in the Dakar Rally, but is also specifically demonstrating it in metropolises. After the rally car’s highly acclaimed city tour through Hamburg a year ago, Paris was now on the agenda. In the home of French Audi factory drivers Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger, the innovative low-emission prototype headed for renowned sights. A wave of joy and curiosity from many passers-by accompanied the emotional drive. The appearance of Audi’s high-tech ambassador generated a lot of sympathy and unique images.
The tour began above the rooftops of Paris: At the Sacré-Cœur Basilica on Montmartre Hill, 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger looked down on the capital below them. From the 18th Arondissement they passed the Église de la Madeleine to the Place de la Concorde, the headquarters of the Automobile Club de France. Via the Champs-Elysées, the RS Q e-tron with its 263 kW (358 hp) electric drive set its sights on the Arc de Triomphe. The tour then led past the Invalides to Place François 1er, where the prototype drifted in typical rally style. From there it went to the origins of the Dakar Rally: At the Place du Trocadéro Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger looked up at the Eiffel Tower. The first participants gathered there as early as 1979 for the start of the world’s toughest desert rally. Along the banks of the Seine the two Audi factory drivers ended their tour with atmospheric pictures. “It was great fun to explore Paris with our RS Q e-tron,” admitted Stéphane Peterhansel. “With the electric drive we rolled almost silently through this wonderful city and inspired many people.”
Audi has been one of the pioneers of electrification in motorsport since 2012. The brand has developed the RS Q e-tron with electric drive and energy converter to succeed in desert motorsport with a low-emission model. The energy converter consists of an internal combustion engine and a generator. Since this season, Audi has been using a sustainable fuel that saves over 60 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Last year, Team Audi Sport achieved overall victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. In two editions of the Dakar Rally so far, the RS Q e-tron has also clinched six stage victories and a total of 28 podium results in the one-day classifications. Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger have contributed one stage win and six further podium finishes.
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