Luxury carmaker Audi has confirmed that it will put a new Q8 SUV into production. The new SUV – based on the next-generation Q7 which is slated to be unveiled at the 2015 Detroit motor show – will go up against rivals like the BMW X6, Range Rover Sport and upcoming Mercedes MLC.
"The Q8 will come," said technical chief Ulrich Hackenberg at the LA auto show. "It will be something new, following designs established on the Prologue concept. It will be positioned as something more emotional and more sporty than the Q7. The Q7 will be a car for seven people, the Q8 will be more coupe like."
The Q7 will be one of the last Audis with the current design language and the Q8 will have some visual differentiation to the Q7 both inside and out. The Q8 has been granted official production approval and is progressing through a development programme that aims to have it on sale within the next three years.
The upmarket crossover forms a crucial part of Audi’s growth strategy that will see it extend its line-up by no fewer than 11 new models by 2020. Five of those models have been identified as additional SUVs in the form of the Q1, Q2, Q4, Q6 and Q8.
This will push Audi’s range to a 60-strong model line-up, with the company predicting that 40 percent of its annual sales – around 8,00,000 units – will come from SUVs. Company boss Rupert Stadler admitted that more investment would be diverted to SUVs as a result.
The Q8 has been conceived to extend Audi’s reach at the top of its line-up and to provide the company with added sales in potentially crucial markets such as China, the Middle East and the US.
In terms of performance and technology, the Q8 is described as being on par with Audi’s A8 flagship sedan, albeit with the added ability to head off road thanks to its raised ride height and, on top-end models, adjustable air suspension.
A range of V6 and V8 petrol and diesel engines will be offered, alongside plug-in hybrids and possibly an all-electric version to rival the upcoming Tesla Model X SUV.
The Q8 is set to receive its own, unique five-door body styled under the stewardship of new Audi design boss Marc Lichte. Among the various elements expected to set it apart from the more practical second-generation Q7 is a racier front end with a more sporting grille, more obvious tapering around each corner, shallower side glass, a generously sloping roofline and a more heavily angled rear window.
The basis for the Q8 is the second-generation MLB (modular longitudinal architecture) platform. Insiders say the MLB structure has far greater flexibility than that used today, with added scope for variability within the wheelbase and track widths in a move that, it is suggested, will lead to a wider differentiation between the models planned by the VW Group’s various brands.
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