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The greatest made history, continue to do so and will continue to do so. A winning binomial that meets this premise? Carlos Sainz and Audi. The man from Madrid, double world rally champion, is the best Spanish driver in this competition. Respected by all, his successes are due to his unwavering competitive spirit. He is 60 years old but he looks like a kid. Proof of this is that despite accumulating three Dakars as a veteran (2010, 2018 and 2020), he wants more. The demanding physical work plan that he follows to the letter is a true reflection of the desire for victory that he treasures. It seems difficult to see him out of a car. It’s infinite. Audi is the mirror of Spanish. History, present and future. As for the technological milestones of the German brand, we must mention three for their impact on the automotive industry: the “Quattro” drive, the TDI engine and the firm commitment to electromobility.
The 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports and the legendary German brand, represented by the CEO in Spain Jose Miguel Apariciotalk together with the Asturian engineer Fermin Soneiraresponsible worldwide for the Audi e-tron range, on the present and future of electromobility.
We are talking about an outreach initiative to share relevant content associated with Audi brand values. These premises are sustainability, technological development, leadership capacity and people orientation, always with the aim of building a better future based on progress. The talk begins with a change of roles in which Carlos Sainz leaves the wheel for a day to act as co-pilot in an Audi e-tron GT driven by José Miguel Aparicio. On the way to the filming set, José Miguel reviews with Carlos the trajectory of the Madrid champion and highlights his ability not only to drive, but also to fine-tune and evolve cars.
Something that was evident in Audi’s first participation in the Dakar Rally with the RS Q e-tron last January: the brand with the four rings successfully completed the race reaching four stage wins and a total of 14 podium finishes. Carlos Sainz was not only decisive in the development of the car, but also made history by achieving two stage winsincluding the first for an electrified prototype in the legendary endurance test in the desert.
Already on the filming set, José Miguel draws a parallel between Carlos’s life of constant challenges and the way Audi evolves, to introduce into the conversation Fermín Soneira, one of the main promoters of electromobility at the four rings mark. Fermín has no hesitation in stating: “The combustion engine is no longer the solution, the electric motor is the future. Once you drive an electric car, there is no turning back”, while Carlos nods.
Acting as moderator in the exchange of reflections between the engineer and the pilot, in a pleasant talk about the importance of motivation and teamwork to reach the goal, José Miguel Aparicio highlights the leading role of electrification: “The electric car is a solution to a climate emergency problem, and society is increasingly aware of it.” Audi will only launch new vehicles with 100% electric drive on the market from 2026gradually reducing the production of internal combustion models until 2033. By 2025, the brand with the four rings will have more than 20 electric models in its range.
But electromobility is not the only transformation that the automobile industry is experiencing. “We are also facing digital transformation and autonomous driving,” says Fermín, for whom the key will always be to offer a product that is capable of generating emotions. As a professional pilot, Carlos Sainz himself does not see autonomous driving as a threatbut as a technology that will improve safety and offer drivers more possibilities to, at a given time, be able to move comfortably in their car while performing other tasks.
Before proposing a challenge to Carlos to demonstrate his skills beyond the wheel in a Scalextric race, José Miguel Aparicio highlights the constant need to set new goals to evolve and aspire to the best. “If we have been the best in the world in combustion engines, we can also dream of being the best in electromobility and autonomous driving”. The General Director of Audi Spain also throws into the air a question that all fans of the brand and fans of sports car are asking: “Are we going to win the Dakar?” And Carlos Sainz picks up the witness without hesitation: “We have possibilities, but we have to do things right, and not underestimate either the Dakar… or the enemy”.
*This content sponsored by AUDI has been prepared by Diario AS.