Audi Q8 concept – full-size SUV in coupé design forms biggest Q yet

The Audi Q8 concept is designed to be dynamic, highly efficient, and extremely comfortable – all this while also showing a much more daring design than one might expect from Audi.

Maximum prestige

With this model the premium manufacturer is tapping into a new segment for the full-size class – an elegant alternative to the robust presence of a classic sport utility vehicle. The Q8 concept stands for “maximum prestige”. Nicely put. It combines the spaciousness typical of an SUV with the emotional lines of a coupé.

At 5.02 meters long, the Audi Q8 concept is an impressive presence in the full-size class. Thanks to a wheelbase of 3 meters, the show car offers plenty of space for passengers and luggage. Despite the sloping, coupé-like roofline, even the rear-seat passengers enjoy ample head and shoulder room.

The extremely flat-surfaced wide C-pillars are reminiscent of the Audi Ur-quattro (original Audi quattro) from the 1980s.

“The Q8 concept is an Audi in peak form. It demonstrates the strengths of our brand in both technology and design while providing a glimpse at a future full-size, production SUV” says a board member from Audi AG.

6 upright double bars

6 upright double bars structure the radiator grille. A “mask” painted in a contrasting colour frames the grille. The outer air inlets have a deep and dynamic appearance like the intakes of a turbine, and an aluminium blade forms the bottom edge of the bumper, branded with “e-tron” in outline font.

Digital Matrix laser

An x-shaped blue laser light signature highlights the digital Matrix laser technology used for the low and high beams (headlights). Broken down into more than one million pixels, their light can illuminate the road in high resolution and with precise control.

Located below the edge of the engine hood is a narrow LED light guide that emits the light for the dynamic turn signals and the daytime running lights. It wraps around the outside of the headlights, where its ribs create an innovative e-tron signature. All lighting functions are dynamic.

Propulsion by e-tron

Propulsion is provided by a powerful yet highly efficient plug-in hybrid with 330 kW of system output and 700 Nm of torque, integrated with the 3.0 TFSI V6 combustion engine and 8-speed tiptronic.

According to the standard applicable for plug-in hybrids, it consumes just 2.3 litres of fuel per 100 kays. The lithium-ion battery located in the rear consists of 104 prismatic cells. With a capacity of 17.9 kWh, it enables an electric range of 60 kilometres. Its total range with the TFSI engine is up to 1000 kilometers. A full charge with 7.2 kW output takes about 2 and a half hours.

It drives all 4 wheels, to make quattro.

Those wheels look rather large… Audi mounts 305/35-series tyres on the 23-inch wheels.

Luxury 4 4

The interior is designed to offer luxury for four people – opulent spaciousness for four persons and their large suitcases in the high-capacity 630-litre boot. This 4-seat layout is in line with large luxury sedans which offer 2 comfort seats in the rear.

The colours and materials in the Audi Q8 concept provide for a cool and sporty atmosphere. One highlight is the three-dimensional engineered grain on the instrument panel, doors and floor. High-gloss carbon applications with a new abstract fabric structure and aluminium strips and frames set accents. Their brushed finish is relatively dark. Brightness increases gradually from the headlining to the centre console in graduated shades of grey, from steel grey to pastel silver.

New ways: controls and displays

The elegant interior architecture of the Audi Q8 concept merges with a ground-breaking control and display concept. Information and commands are passed primarily through touch displays augmented by the Audi virtual cockpit and a contact analogue head-up display. All displays feature a new digital design that concentrates systematically on the most important things.

The contact analogue head-up display projects important displays onto the windshield in the driver’s direct field of view, seemingly placing them in the real environment like this – a navigation arrow, for example, appears in the same position as an actual arrow on the road – an intelligent application of augmented reality. The notifications from the driver assistance systems also merge the virtual and physical worlds.

Will it be a production Audi Q8?

The concept car is the basis for a production model that Audi will launch on the market in 2018. It will probably be toned down, styling wise, though expect it to carry Q8 badging to become the new flagship Audi SUV, to form the biggest Q yet.