Audi plans to kick RS with hot Q8 SUV

Audi Sport Concept has 476hp V6 'mild hybrid' propulsion.

What's the news?

Audi has revealed its most aggressively sporting SUV yet, with the concept version of the forthcoming Q8. Still officially a concept car, expect this SUV muscle car to be all but identical in production form.

While there will be an all-electric Q8 e-tron, this is the, ahem, less eco-friendly one, the RS and it's packing a 3.0-litre TFSI 'mild hybrid' V6 petrol engine, which combines a small battery and electric motor assist with an electrically-driven turbo for big power with zero lag. Audi quotes 476hp and 700Nm of torque, with a 4.7-second 0-100km/h run and a top speed of 275km/h. There are no figures yet for emissions or fuel consumption, but they must be pretty decent as Audi claims that the RS Q8 can go for 1,200km on a single tank. Maybe it's just a huge tank.

Compared to the Q8 concept car shown in Detroit in January, the RS Q8 concept has had its wheelarches stretched by 12mm, there's a bigger roof spoiler, a diffuser picked out in aluminium and massive oval exhaust pipes.

Anything else?

Inside, there's an all-touchscreen setup, with an updated 'Virtual Cockpit' instrument panel and a massive central screen. There's also a clever head-up display that Audi says "uses intelligent augmented reality technology that merges the real and virtual worlds."

Published on: March 7, 2017