The German manufacturer was due to see out its third and final season in the FIA-sanctioned series as part of its much-touted cross-country programme with the RS Q e-tron hybrid.
However, just a month after scoring a maiden win in the prestigious Dakar marathon in Saudi Arabia in January, Audi announced that it would be shutting down the project with immediate effect, leaving it out of the remaining four events on the W2RC calendar.
