Say Hello to the New 2018 Audi Q8

The Audi Q8 is almost here; this is what we know now about the new luxury SUV so far

The Audi A8 will be the new addition to the Audi’s range of luxury A cars and will be based on the same platform as the Q7, albeit with a sportier bent.

Q8’s wheelbase is the same as the Q7’s; however the back overhang of the Q8 is shorter which means it will seat five. The car also sits 70mm lower than Q7. Audi will also distinguish the future Q models by fitting octagonal grilles whereas the A cars will have hexagonal grilles. The Audi Q8 has the most dominant octagonal grille by featuring bold vertical strakes.

The Q8 will also get full-width back light treatment as well as unique front light design split into two. It also gets further lighting in a lower part that’s disguised as an air intake, all because it is the range topper. It will certainly take all the Audi qualities to the next level.

The Q8’s main competitors are SUVs like the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne, but Audi design boss Marc Lichte has avoided the temptation to give it a coupe-like rear end, following the trend of its rivals. “We started the roof lower at the front,” Lichte told us, “And made it longer to make sure you get good headroom in the back. Then we’ve added a fast C-pillar to really show off the car’s progressive sportiness.”

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has high hopes for the Q8 and said, “The way the market is going, we see the Q8 sitting alongside the A8 as our two luxury flagships.”

Audi will fit the new Q8 with latest Audi autonomous driving technology and engines. The recent electric turbo engines fitted in the SQ7 will also be available with fully hybrid options.

Under the bonnet, the Q8 will offer various high-tech engine options, all of them fixed to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission and all of them sending power to all four wheels. We expect to see an array of diesel and petrol V-6 and V-8 engines, and there will be an SQ8 with a V-8 TDI and electric turbocharging.

The Q8 will likely come with the same selection of powerplants as the Q7 on which it’s based. The entry-level model can be a 3.0-litre 215hp diesel engine although the more powerful 268hp version of the same unit is a better mix of fuel economy, refinement, and performance.

Former Audi technical chief, Ulrich Hackenberg, has said the new car will be “more emotional and sporty than the Q7″ and that “the Q8 will be more coupe-like”. The statement suggests the new model could take the Q7’s rugged SUV platform and add a more stylish body, possibly inspired by the recent Prologue concept car.

The Q8 will have a starting price of around £55,000 for the most cost-effective model, a Q8 3.0 TDI, in the UK. As with the Q7, the Q8 is based around the latest evolution of Audi’s MLB platform.

The Q8 is scheduled to be built at Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia alongside the current Q7.