Big coupe-like sports SUVs are pretty popular items in the Indian market, and Audi is looking to stake its claim of the market with its new Q8 SUV that will enter production sometime in 2018 (likely to challenge the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe).
Audi has displayed their new Q8 Sport Concept SUV at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
Cutting an imposing figure, the Q8 Sport concept (to be named ‘SQ8’) appears to be the range-topping model of the new Q8 line-up. Up-front there is a black honeycomb octagonal grille with a contrasting gun metal surround, flanked by larger air intakes and sleek headlamps with an X motif. A distinctive body-coloured blade forms the bottom edge of the bumper. The rear-end has an aggressive aluminium and carbon-fibre diffuser placed beside two large oval exhaust tips.
In the new Audi Q8 sport concept for the first-time ever, Audi has combined a 450PS 3.0 TFSI six-cylinder engine with an electric powered compressor and an effective mild hybrid system for recuperation. Combined, the Q8 sport concept’s total system output is 476 PS and 700 Nm of torque, propelling the SUV from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and to a top speed of 275 km/h. In combination with an 85-litre fuel tank and 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery pack, it will deliver an overall range of 1,200 kms.
Official launch of the new Audi Q8 is slated for sometime in 2018.
Audi Q8 will be produced at Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia along with the present Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. It is expected to come in with a starting price of around Rs 90 lakh which is Rs 10 lakh more than the current Q7. Once launched, the SQ8 will compete with the performance SUVs like the BMW X6 M, Mercedes GLE 63 AMG Coupe, and the Range Rover Sport SVR.
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Also see: Audi to raise bar in the premium SUV segment: Q8 in pipeline
GALLERY: 2017 Q8 Sport Concept
