Brace Yourselves: The Coupe-Ish Audi Q8 SUV Is Coming

Audi has just dropped a pair of teaser images for a new flagship SUV based on the Q7.

Called the Q8 and designed with more inspiration from coupes, it’s set to make a debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month. Audi calls the sketches a “near-production study”, meaning they’re almost certainly going to make it.

Huge production successes for Mercedes and BMW, with sportier SUVs like the X6 and GLE Coupé, have pushed Audi into designing one of their own – and you can bet it won’t be the last. We already know there’s a Q4 coming, and it’s a safe bet there will be a Q6 as well.

The company says the Q8 is “unlocking a new segment for the full-size category,” openly acknowledging its greater emphasis on that irritatingly overused word: sportiness. It’s also clear that from a prestige point of view, Audi is positioning the car as a flagship.

We’d take an educated guess that the Q8 will join the RS family at some point, probably using the same twin-turbo V8 found in the RS6.

Bizarrely, in the press release there’s a link made to the Ur-quattro of the 1980s, with a claim that many of the design cues hark back to that famous car. They mean the wide, flat C-pillar and flared wheel arches, if you’re wondering.

The grille is also, if anything, even bigger than the Q7’s. It’s so big you could almost park an A1 in it. One thing’s for sure: it’s going to look hellish in your rear-view mirror.

The NAIAS starts on 8 January, so keep an eye on the news for more details.