Monday at the Detroit Auto Show, Audi unveiled its new flagship SUV, the Q8 Concept.
The new, large, luxury SUV runs on a plug-in hybrid system and is the basis for a production model that Audi will launch on the market in 2018. It forms part of Audi’s renewed goal to push deeper into the high-end luxury SUV category.
“The Q8 concept is an Audi in peak form,” said Dietmar Voggenreiter, the member of the board of management for sales and marketing at AUDI AG. “It demonstrates the strengths of our brand in both technology and design while providing a glimpse at a future full-size, production SUV,” he continued, touting its next-gen display and control solutions.
Hybrid Performance
The Q8 will use both a 333hp combustion engine and a 100kW electric motor on an eight-speed transmission and three driving modes. The complete system will get 330kW and be able to hit 62 mph in 5.4 seconds. Top speed is 155 mph.
The lithium-ion battery has an electric range of 37.3 miles, with a total range, including the engine, of 621.4 miles. A full charge to the battery will take less than three hours.
Audi’s Concept also includes progressive driving technologies such as wheel-selective torque control, which allows wheels to brake individually, and adaptive air sport suspension.
Interior Charm
Inside, the Q8 is designed to make its passengers feel as though they’re in a sailing yacht. A large center tunnel console allows the driver to control the eight-speed transmission electronically by touch. There are also large touchscreens at the front and an updated version of the Audi virtual cockpit, with a head-up display that uses augmented reality to merge real world and virtual cues. The trim includes dark LED lights that emit a soft white light and Nappa and Nubuck leather in pastel silver.
Source: Bloomberg
