This is the Audi Q8 sport concept, which combines the brand’s electrically powered compressor technology (first used in the SQ7 TDI and also seen in the Bentley Bentayga Diesel) with a petrol engine for the first time.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Q8 sport concept is the latest preview of a production flagship from Audi expected to launch in 2018.
The concept combines the electric compressor system with a 3,0-litre, six-cylinder TFSI engine, a 48-volt electrical system, a mild hybrid system and all-wheel drive. The result? Some 350 kW and 700 N.m with what the Ingolstadt automaker claims is “the efficiency of a four-cylinder equivalent”.
The four-seater Q8 sport concept is fitted with an eight-speed tiptronic transmission and completes the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in 4,7 seconds. It keeps going until it reaches a top speed of nearly 275 km/h.
Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management at Audi, said that the technology would soon make its way into production vehicles.
“The drive system of the Audi Q8 sport concept is a major step towards optimising efficiency and sustainability in large-volume series production. The combination of mild hybrid technology and a TFSI engine sets a new benchmark for the synthesis of electromobility and combustion engines. In the future, this combination will be used in many Audi models,” said Stadler.
In addition to the two exhaust gas turbochargers, the electric powered compressor provides the Q8 sport concept with an additional kick by supplying the six-cylinder engine with fresh air. The compressor supports the turbochargers at times when the exhaust gas is insufficient for rapid development of power.
