Audi has officially confirmed two new SUVs will join its lineup in the form of a flagship Q8 coupe-SUV along with a small Q4 coupe-SUV positioned between the Q3 and Q5.
The Audi Q8 has been spied during testing on the Nurburgring and is going to be roughly the same in size as the Q7, but will sit lower to the ground and have a sloped roof line. It’s scheduled to enter production phase next year in Bratislava, Slovakia, where also the Q7 is assembled. Sales are expected to start in early next year.
Audi says the Q8 will combine “great spaciousness with emotive design” and will offer “the latest technologies in assistance and infotainment systems.” Reports suggest it will be one of the most expensive Audis currently on sale with a price for the top trims close to the €100,000 (approximately £85,000) mark.
The Q4, meanwhile, will follow its bigger brother a year later on the assembly lines in Gyor, Hungary. Think of it as a “very sporty,” as Audi says, and larger Q2 coupe-SUV. It's part of the company’s plans to “significantly rejuvenate its product range” over the next few years and will actually debut two years than previously expected.
“We will integrate two completely new Q‑models into the existing production network and will thus increase our competitiveness in an extremely important segment,” Audi’s Board of Management Member for Production and Logistics, Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl, commented on the announcement of the two new SUVs.
Note: Audi Q8 Sport Concept pictured.
Source: Audi
Gallery: 2017 Audi Q8 Sport Concept
udi is to expand its portfolio with two new Q models and has announced where they will be built: Production of the Audi Q8 will start in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2018 and the first Audi Q4 will drive off the assembly line in Győr (Hungary) in 2019.
“We will integrate two completely new Q‑models into the existing production network and will thus increase our competitiveness in an extremely important segment,” stated Audi’s Board of Management Member for Production and Logistics, Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl.
With the Audi Q8, the brand will open up a new segment for its top-end models. The premium SUV in a coupe style combines great spaciousness with emotive design and offers the latest technologies in assistance and infotainment systems. Audi will produce the model in Bratislava as of 2018. The Audi Q7 has already been produced at the Slovakian plant since 2005. Meanwhile, the second generation of the large SUV is in production there, as an S version and as the Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid.
In 2019, production of the Audi Q4 will start at Audi Hungaria in Győr. With this model, the brand is entering the segment of compact utility vehicles (CUVs). The very sporty Audi Q4 with its typical coupe-style silhouette will be positioned between the Audi Q3 and Q5. And as of 2018, Audi Hungaria will also be responsible for production of the Audi Q3 compact SUV, which until then will continue to be produced in Martorell, Spain.