Photo: SB-Medien
Audi already has a 7-seat version of the Q7, so the Q8 is not a family car/flagship, like the BMW X7 or Mercedes GLS-Class. Instead, this is a lifestyle vehicle with a strong sense of design. We've seen spyshots of that plenty of times, but this is the SQ8's debut.
The SQ8 is designed and tuned by the new Audi Sport division, replacing quattro GmbH. But it's not the true performance version, not even in the sense of the old S8. That's because this prototype is, in all likelihood, powered by some sort of V6 engine.
The 2.9-liter twin-turbo with 450 hp, which is already found in the RS4 Avant and RS5 Coupe, will also power the S6 and S7 models.
However, the SQ8, being a sort of flagship, could pack a hybrid system. We say this because the Q8 Sport concept of the Geneva Motor Show was fitted with a 470 HP combination of V6 gasoline engine and 20 kWh electric assistance. This could also explain why there are no electric "filling" ports on the prototype.
We really would have like to see a big V8 in this bad boy, but the RS Q8 name has been trademarked and should go toe to toe with its sister car, the Lamborghini Urus. However, for the most part, all of the SQ8's rivals have six cylinders too.
There's the BMW X6 M50d with a tri-turbo 3-liter, though that's about to go out of production. Also, Mercedes makes a GLE 43 model with an AMG badge it doesn't deserve. What's more, both of those models have a lot less power than the SQ8 will.
There's also a good chance that Audi will develop an SQ8 TDI specifically for the European market and driven by that thumping 4.0-liter TDI with an electric supercharger.
But in these spyshots, we can definitely see that Audi has developed a bad habit of making fake exhausts. The four pipes you see here will actually be hidden inside the rear bumper. All you're going to see is that trapezoidal shape around it, probably in black or chrome.
The 2.9-liter twin-turbo with 450 hp, which is already found in the RS4 Avant and RS5 Coupe, will also power the S6 and S7 models.
However, the SQ8, being a sort of flagship, could pack a hybrid system. We say this because the Q8 Sport concept of the Geneva Motor Show was fitted with a 470 HP combination of V6 gasoline engine and 20 kWh electric assistance. This could also explain why there are no electric "filling" ports on the prototype.
We really would have like to see a big V8 in this bad boy, but the RS Q8 name has been trademarked and should go toe to toe with its sister car, the Lamborghini Urus. However, for the most part, all of the SQ8's rivals have six cylinders too.
There's the BMW X6 M50d with a tri-turbo 3-liter, though that's about to go out of production. Also, Mercedes makes a GLE 43 model with an AMG badge it doesn't deserve. What's more, both of those models have a lot less power than the SQ8 will.
There's also a good chance that Audi will develop an SQ8 TDI specifically for the European market and driven by that thumping 4.0-liter TDI with an electric supercharger.
But in these spyshots, we can definitely see that Audi has developed a bad habit of making fake exhausts. The four pipes you see here will actually be hidden inside the rear bumper. All you're going to see is that trapezoidal shape around it, probably in black or chrome.
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