Audi next move crossover will be to go up-market with the arrival of the new Q8, and
here we have it.
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.
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.
Cr : Carscoops
