#DakarCityTour 2023: Stockholm
From the desert to the city: Audi not only uses the forward-looking drive technology of the RS Q e-tron in the Dakar Rally, but also specifically demonstrates it in metropolises. After the rally car’s highly acclaimed city tour through Hamburg a year ago, Stockholm was now on the agenda. In the home of the Swedish Audi factory drivers Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist the innovative low-emission prototype headed for well-known 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 first took the Audi RS Q e-tron from the Central Bridge Highway to Storkyrkan Church and Mynttorget Square. The baroque Royal Palace as well as the waterfront district of Norrmalm with Nybroviken Bay and Strandvägen provided picturesque backdrops. In front of the Skansen open-air museum on the island of Djurgården, Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist drifted in true rally style. Things were even more spectacular at the Freeport: A ramp served the 263 kW (358 hp) Audi RS Q e-tron for an impressive jump with a safe landing. The photographer and film crew also found attractive shooting points at the Vasa Museum, the Nordic Museum, the Royal Dramatic Theater and the Karlaplan Roundabout. To conclude the tour, the Audi team embarked on a ferry crossing to the southwestern municipality of Slagsta. “Driving through Stockholm with our RS Q e-tron was a great idea,” enthused Mattias Ekström. “We presented the residents with technology of the future at their fingertips and experienced lots of great moments in the process.”
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. Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist have clinched two of these stage victories as well as seven further podium results.
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