Audi is getting ready to expand its crossover lineup with the addition of the Q6 and Q8 models. Audi is giving us a preview of what the new Q8 flagship SUV will look like with the debut of the Q8 concept this week at the Detroit Auto Show.
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At 16.5-feet long, the Q8 concept is a large SUV, but with a much more coupe-like roofline than the brand’s Q7. Although the Q8 concept’s footprint is what you’d expect from a full size SUV, inside there’s only room for up to four passengers. Instead of adopting a boxy shape like the Q7, the Q8 is more like the BMW X6 with its sleeker roofline and according to Audi, the Q8’s profile is reminiscent of the Quattro sports car from the 1980s.

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“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,” said Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “With its next-generation display and control solutions, we are enabling customers to experience connectivity in a whole new way.”

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The Q8 concept is powered by a plug-in hybrid system that mates a 3.0L V6 to an electric motor for a total output of 442 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. The plug-in hybrid system can accelerate the Q8 from 0-62 mph in 5.4 seconds and has the ability to drive in fully electric mode for up to 37 miles.

Related: 2017 Audi Q7 gets 2.0L turbocharged four-cyl

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Audi hasn’t announced when the production version of the Q8 will debut, but it’s arrival isn’t too far away, which will most likely be by 2018.

Source: Audi