A brand new evolution of the Audi RS Q E-Tron rally automotive is heading to the 2023 Dakar Rally.

Now bearing the suffix E2 in reference to Audi’s Group B rally automobiles of the Eighties, the RS Q E-Tron will get redesigned bodywork, tweaks to optimize power effectivity, and a few ergonomic upgrades, Audi mentioned Thursday in a press launch.

“The Audi RS Q E-Tron E2 doesn’t undertake a single physique half from its predecessor,” Axel Löffler, the automotive’s chief designer, mentioned in a press release. The cockpit has been widened, and exterior panels have been redesigned to enhance aerodynamics. The entrance fenders now sit up and away from the physique as an alternative of mixing into the doorways, and the physique itself has a brand new form much like a ship’s hull. These modifications cut back the coefficient of drag by 15%, and must also make tire modifications simpler, Audi claims.

Revised class guidelines have raised the minimal weight from 4,409 lb to 4,629 lb, however because the earlier RS Q E-Tron was chubby, engineers nonetheless aimed for weight discount. The brand new entrance fenders helped with that, as did modifications to the rear hood that did away with some air ducting. Modifications to the carbon-fiber lay-up of the physique panels additional decreased weight, in keeping with Audi.

Like the unique model, the RS Q E-Tron E2 is powered by one electrical motor per axle, with an internal-combustion engine performing as a generator. However, having famous short-term surpluses of power whereas racing, Audi modified the power administration software program to wring extra effectivity out of the powertrain.

The air con system was additionally tweaked to run extra effectively. Audi discovered that it was working so usually that coolant was really freezing, so it has been dialed again to an intermittent mode. The revised system makes use of much less power whereas nonetheless maintaining the cockpit cool.

As earlier than, the cockpit has a number of show screens and a panel with 24 switches. However to reduce confusion, engineers added a rotary knob with 4 settings—Stage, Highway, Error, and Settings—that cowl an important capabilities.

The Audi RS Q E-Tron E2 will make its competitors debut on the 2022 Morocco Rally, scheduled for Oct. 1-6, with three driver pairings: Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger, and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz. The Moroccan occasion will function preparation for the 2023 Dakar Rally, scheduled to start out on New 12 months’s Eve in Saudi Arabia.