Audi announced today that the first new Q8 e-trons have started rolling through the production line at its plant in Brussels, Belgium. A thorough update of the e-tron SUV, Audi decided not just to revise the vehicle’s appearance and technology, but to give it a shiny new nameplate, too, to make it fit better within the lineup.
“With its increased efficiency and range, as well as its sharpened design, the new Audi Q8 e-tron is a strong statement for electromobility,” said Gerd Walker, the head of production and logistics at Audi.
With the update, Audi has increased the size of the EV’s base battery pack by 29 percent, from 69 kWh to 89 kWh. That gives the SUV up to 307 miles (491 km) of range in its regular body shape, and up to 316 miles (505 km) of range in the sleeker Sportback body style.
More: 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron Realigns Itself With Bigger Battery And Improved Looks
A larger 106 kWh battery pack is also available (up from 86 kWh), which gives the SUV a range of up to 364 miles (582 km) and the Sportback a range of up to 375 miles (600 km). In its highest-performance guise, as the SQ8 e-tron, its twin motors make 496 hp (370 kW/503 PS) and 718 lb-ft (973 Nm) of torque.
As excited about those performance boosts as Audi is, the brand is more excited that the electric SUV will be certified net-carbon-neutral. That’s thanks to the plant in Belgium, where it’s being built, and it’s an honor that the old e-tron SUV also shared.
The factory has been using green energy since 2012, and more recently added 107,000 square meters (1,151,738 square feet) of solar panels on its roof. In all, the system generates 9,000 megawatt hours of power every year, which would be enough to charge 90,000 Q8 e-trons. It also helps avoid the emission of 1,881 tons of carbon pollution every year.
Since May, the plant has used only green-powered freight trains to bring things in and out of the plant, and Audi’s battery cell supplier is required to use renewable energy for the production of the Q8 e-tron’s batteries.
“The path Audi is taking conserves resources and accelerates our transformation,” said Walker. “The experience Brussels has gained since 2018 can be used across locations throughout the Audi Group.”
Order books for the newly named electric SUV have opened in some European markets, and they are expected to start showing up in showrooms near the end of February. Americans, meanwhile, will have to wait a little longer, as the U.S. launch of the Audi Q8 e-tron is expected in April.
