Audi will kick off the new year with the unveiling of a close to production-ready concept of its upcoming Q8 flagship SUV at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Depicted an official sketch released by the German luxury-car builder, the highly detailed concept foreshadows a spacious new Range Rover Sport rival that is planned to go on sale before the end of 2017, sporting its own distinctive styling and a price tag that will position it above the second-generation Q7.
Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler describes the Q8 as the German automaker’s “flagship SUV,” saying it will sit alongside the A8 at the top of its lineup.
“I could imagine an executive being driven to work every day in their A8 and then spending the weekend driving themselves in their Q8,” he said at an earlier media preview of the vehicle. “The Q8 will have global appeal in all of the major markets – Europe, China, America, Russia and more – and so we are very excited about it.”
The Q8 is one of several new SUVs currently under development at Audi and scheduled for launch before the end of the decade. It joins the recently introduced second-generation Q7, all-new Q2, second-generation Q5, a successor model to today’s first-generation Q3, a new Q4 and the all-electric Q6 e-tron, which first was previewed by the Audi e-tron quattro concept at the 2015 Frankfurt auto show.
The intense focus on SUVs at Audi comes after recent worldwide sales figures showed that every third vehicle sold by the brand hails from its existing lineup of Q models.
The Q8 is a sister model to the Q7, with which it shares Audi’s MLB architecture and a large part of its mechanical and electrical systems.
Stylistically, the Q8 concept departs from the latest Q7, eschewing the upright stance of its sibling for amore rakish shape.
“With the Audi Q8 concept, we have created a new spearhead within our Q model line. Its design strongly evokes sportiness and prestige,” says Audi design boss Marc Lichte. “What’s more, we believe an important aspect of this show car is that it offers a spacious interior with four equally comfortable seats, even with the flat roofline.”
Among the new model’s distinguishing features is a broad 8-corner single-frame grille that houses a series of vertical chrome strips – an element that will become a strong design signature on many future Audi models.
Many design elements of the Q8 concept recall cues that appeared on the original Audi quattro of the 1980s. They include a flat but wide C-pillar and prominent flared shoulders above the wheels.
Lichte confirms the Q8 is close to the Q7 in both length and width. However, a more sporting roofline reduces the new Audi’s height over its more practical sibling.
Development of the all-wheel-drive Q8 originally kicked off in early 2015 under the watch of Audi’s former R&D boss, Ulrich Hackenberg.
Following Hackenberg’s resignation in the wake of the Dieselgate emissions scandal, the project was taken over by his successor, Stefan Knirsch, who also recently left Audi, another victim of the diesel-emissions scandal.
As with the Q7, the body structure of the Q8 will make extensive use of aluminum in a bid to push lower-end models below the 4,400-lb. (2,000 kg) mark.
Among the engines destined for the Q8 will be a new range of V-6 and V-8 gasoline units developed in a joint venture between Audi and Porsche. Based on a shared 90-degree architecture, they feature a common 0.5L individual cylinder capacity, with overall swept volumes of 3.0L and 4.0L, respectively.
Also planned is a sporting SQ8 model with the advanced triple-turbocharged 4.0L V-8 diesel already in service in the SQ7.
Inside, the Q8 is to receive a reworked version of the Q7’s impressive cockpit, featuring a more driver-orientated middle console. Unlike the 4-seat concept to be shown at Detroit, though, the production Q8 will come with a more conventional 5-seat layout.
Among the new Audi’s arsenal of options will be many of the advanced systems being developed for the upcoming fourth-generation A8, such as a 48V electrical system, OLED high definition digital displays and the latest in autonomous driving functions.
As part of a comprehensive connectivity package, Audi also is working on providing over-the-air updates for future incarnations of its MMI (multimedia interface) system. These include real-time navigation updates via the Here system being developed in a JV with BMW and Daimler-Benz.
The Q8 willbe produced at Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia alongside the current Q7 and the successor models to the existing second-generation Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, due next year.
