In the dozen years since Audi first entered the crossover market with the debut of the original Q7, it has expanded its SUV lineup consistently down-market with the launch of the Q5, Q3, and the new Q2.
But its next move will be to go up-market with the arrival of the new Q8, and here we have it.
Previewed by concepts at the Detroit and Geneva shows earlier this year, the Q8 is set to join an elite cadre of high-end crossovers coming down the line from the burgeoning Volkswagen Group – alongside the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, and next-generation Porsche Cayenne.
All that will be left then will be for Bugatti to do an SUV and we’ll be all set, however unlikely that is to happen.
Spied undergoing testing at the Nürburgring, the forthcoming Q8 looks like it’ll be wider than the Q7, but shorter and lower to give it a more muscular stance. It’ll also have a sloping roofline, though not quite to the degree of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. That would appear to be one step further than Audi, in all of its common sense, seems willing to take.
Expect mostly the same powertrain options to find their way into the Q8 from the Q7, but sources suggest that the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 planned for the Urus could be offered in the flagship Audi as well, potentially to carry the SQ8 or RS Q8 designation.
One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that Audi isn’t prepared to simply watch its rivals – or even its corporate cousins – rake in the big bucks on the rising high end of the luxury crossover market. At least not without putting up a fight, and this one’s shaping up to be a real rumble.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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