Audi has revealed the new Q8 concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, previewing a production model that it says will be launched in 2018.
The new vehicle – which measures more than five metres in length, with a wheelbase of around three metres – is set to take on the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé, with the Ingolstadt-based automaker claiming it combines the “spaciousness typical of an SUV with the emotional lines of a coupe”.
The concept is powered by a plug-in hybrid system worth a total output of 330 kW and 700 N.m. A 3,0-litre TFSI mill provides 245 kW, while a 100 kW electric motor allows the Q8 concept to sip at a claimed 2,3 L/100 km (and adds an electric-only range of around 60 km).
Fitted with an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission, Audi says the Q8 concept can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 5,4 seconds, before topping out at 250 km/h.
Interestingly, the concept’s doors are opened via touch sensors: as soon as the door detects hand contact, it “opens easily and swings to a defined opening angle”. Audi bills the Q8 concept as a four-seater, although adds that the luggage compartment weighs in with a capacity of 630 litres.
Earlier, the German brand described the concept as a “near-production study”.
