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Carsales Staff21 Jan 2015
NEWS

Audi Q8 confirmed

New model from German prestige brand to take on swoopy-coupe SUVs

Ingolstadt auto maker Audi is working on a rival to the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, large luxury SUVs that eschew utilitarian looks for a sporty, coupe-like silhouette.

In a recent interview with financial site Bloomberg, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed that his company needed a large sporty SUV to "strengthen the brand" and that Audi's significant research and development resources are currently being directed towards the vehicle.

He noted that Audi was "working heavily on this project" and hinted it would be production ready within five years, although our sources suggest it will be available much sooner than this.

"I'm convinced we need the car by 2020," said Stadler.

The rise in popularity of SUVs globally – also true for Australia – has seen car companies scrambling to green-light new models right across the spectrum, from compact city-savvy SUVs to extra-large models with seven or sometimes eight seats.

Audi currently has small, medium, and large SUVs, the Q3, Q5 and Q7, but could reveal the Q1 compact SUV at the 2015 Geneva motor show in early March, with a production model launch late in the year.

As well as the compact model Audi is plotting another sporty, swoopy, coupe-like SUV smaller than the Q8. Based on the Q5 model, the new Q6 will deliver a more dynamic look and feel.

The company has also just launched its new-generation Q7 large SUV, which is now much lighter, by up to 325kg, more cleverly packaged and featuring several advanced technological features.

And as previously reported, the Q8 (and by extension the Q6) is almost certainly going to get quattro GmbH's RS treatment, the vehicle likely to be powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Audi hopes the new Q8, along with the Q1 and Q6 models will strengthen Audi's global position as the world's second top-selling prestige car maker. BMW sits at top spot and although Mercedes-Benz is in third position it's currently growing sales at a much faster rate than its traditional rivals.

Audi is pinning a lot of its hopes on the US market, where SUVs are big business. In some markets Audi is the number one prestige brand, a fact not lost on CEO Stadler.

"We did it in China, we did it in Europe. Why shouldn’t it happen in the U.S. at some point?" Stadler told Bloomberg.

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Written byCarsales Staff
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