Q8 Audi Q8: the high-end SUV coupe approved

[domleo999]

I'm definitely preferring the shape of an X6 or a GLE C over this - it doesn't even resemble a swoopy coupe. I less practical Q7, to me, is a Q5

 

[khabah]

So... all this time and we get a production-bodied Q8 but the production mules of next Cayenne are still MIA?

khabah

 

[John Galt]

The production body does not look like the concept.. Another boring audi...

 

[khabah]

Hmm...

khabah

 

[PanterroR]

More @ Netcarshow

 

[75KoDe]

This could be very interesting as a production car. Hopefully, they nail it in the exterior design, interior looks very promising. I hope they carry over as much as possible, I really like the direction Audi is going with the interior in the latest concept cars .

 

[Rainer271]

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[Star&Car]

I like the body work.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Interior previewing A8?

 

[Rainer271]

Interior previewing A8?

I'm sure we will see a kind of this in the A8.

 

[SCOTT27]

"Vight ve have to save ze money because of the ze Death Star plans veing discovered. So here is an old VW design ve can use to save ze money. It does not matter because there is now no significant difference between our designs or indeed VWs. So we can use them both to maximise our profits"

 

[azeez samara]

The interior is so amazing but the exterior is not that much especially the front end !!

 

[Centurion]

Air vents typically occupy a large area on the center console. I like that Audi would like to slim them down, leaving more room for control and design.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

with a grille like that, i am worried this SUV coupe thing might break Batman's back.

*Then again, I am in the minority in liking that maw on Lexus' LS500.

 

[Busty]

Air vents typically occupy a large area on the center console. I like that Audi would like to slim them down, leaving more room for control and design.

You're making such a good point! As you may imagine, the OEMs are aware of that problem as well. In the last couple of years, guys like me were asked for new concepts. The three guys who came up with the current TT solution, for instance, also were to save space.
The Audi guys also tried a new solution for the current Q7 but realized - surprisingly late during development - that it will not be sufficient. There is a pretty fix relation between vent cross section/flow rate and interior volume. I like the look of these vents here but they appear to be too small.
The overall layout (incl the vents), however, is very similar to the one I saw in the D5.

 

[JHF]

The Q7 is where it all started for Audi in the crossover market, and it has remained its flagship model ever since. But at the Detroit Auto Show today, the German automaker took the wraps off the imposing Q8 concept you see here – and what's more is that it has every intention of putting it into production.
second-generation Q7 introduced at the same show two years ago. The concept also much more aggressive visually, its oversized octagonal grille capping a more couple-like form, with frameless windows, muscular shoulders, and 23-inch wheels packing 20-inch ceramic brake rotors in the grandest of show-stopping style.

Created as a showpiece for what the brand stands for, Audi has fitted it with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that mates a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with a supplemental electric motor and eight-speed automatic transmission. The combined effect is 442 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque – enough, in other words, to propel the big crossover from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds and on to the customary limited top speed of 155 mph.

All the while, the manufacturer says it will return over 100 miles per gallon on the European cycle, or travel up to 37 miles on battery power alone. The hybrid powertrain also provides torque vectoring for the all-wheel drive system, working with the adaptive air suspension to keep the big beast level when the road goes all twisty.

Far from a styling exercise, Audi says that the concept previews a production model set to reach production next year – joining the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, the Porsche Cayenne, and the upcoming Lamborghini Urus in the Volkswagen Group's array of high-end sport-utes. We won't be surprised, however, to see some of its more extreme styling elements (inside and out) toned down on its way from the show stand to the showroom.

car scoops

 

[JHF]

 

[Centurion]

You're making such a good point! As you may imagine, the OEMs are aware of that problem as well. In the last couple of years, guys like me were asked for new concepts. The three guys who came up with the current TT solution, for instance, also were to save space.
The Audi guys also tried a new solution for the current Q7 but realized - surprisingly late during development - that it will not be sufficient. There is a pretty fix relation between vent cross section/flow rate and interior volume. I like the look of these vents here but they appear to be too small.
The overall layout (incl the vents), however, is very similar to the one I saw in the D5.

Another issue with small air vents is accelerated air which could be noisy at high fan speeds. The solution to this could be more air vents around the cabin. I dislike that only top premium cars have vents on the b-pillars.

 

[Rainer271]

I like this Concept. Nevertheless it's a funny pic.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

One of the most eye-catching concepts that bowed at this year's Detroit Auto Show is the Audi Q8 and when you factor in the sloping roofline SUV's near-production state, things look even better for the high-riding Ingolstadt machine. Speaking of which, we've brought along a rendering that aims to portray the Q8 in production trim.

Given Audi's focus on turning the Q8 into a flagship for its SUV line-up, the pixel manipulation, which comes from digital artist X-Tomi, only needed to bring a few small changes to the high-riding model.

The most important revision has to do with the grille. Gone is the vertical-bar mouth of the concept, having been replaced with one that's just as broad, but packs the horizontal layout you can find in Audi showrooms.

Behind the grille, the concept features a hybrid setup offering an output of 443 hp and 516 lb-ft of twist, with this allowing the crossover to cover the 0 to 62 mph sprint in 5.4 seconds. Zoom in and you'll find a 333 hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and a 134 hp electric motor sitting inside the eight-speed automatic tranny.

In production trim, the Q8 will add a wide range of turbocharged gas and diesel (only for the Old Continent) engines to the gas-electric e-tron powertrain discussed here, while an all-electric version could also be in the works.

A 17.9 kWh battery pack offers an electron juice-only driving range of 37 miles, while charging it via a 240V, 30A outlet tales around two and a half hours.

Obvious color switch aside, another aspect that will quench your thirst for details comes from the door mirrors.

Truth be told, we expect the rear of the Q8 to go through a deeper transformation on the way to the production line, but this rendering doesn't cover that part of the car.

Fortunately, Audi is expected to drop the factory attire of the Q8 by the end of the year, so we don't have that much waiting to do before seeing the final form of the coupe-SUV.