Audi RS Q8 to out-muscle Lamborghini Urus: report

AUDI Sport has tapped fellow Volkswagen Group brand Porsche to make its forthcoming RS Q8 large SUV the most powerful four-ring production model yet, according to British automotive publication Autocar.

 

Adopting its hybrid set-up from the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid liftback, the RS Q8 is expected to pair a 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine with a 100kW/400Nm electric motor for combined maximum outputs of 500kW and 850Nm.

 

Comparatively, Audi Sport’s current performance flagship, the R8 V10 Plus sportscar, and its 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 is projected to concede 51kW and 290Nm to the RS Q8.

 

As a result, the RS Q8 will have more power than ‘the world’s first super SUV’, the 478kW Lamborghini Urus, although the two Volkswagen Group models are set to share the same peak torque figure.

 

The 404kW/770Nm Cayenne Turbo large SUV will also be left in the RS Q8’s wake, but a Turbo S E-Hybrid version of the former is expected to lob soon and match the anticipated outputs of the RS Q8, while an electrified Urus is set to up the ante even further by the end of 2019.

 

The RS Q8, Cayenne Turbo and Urus all ride on Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform and are motivated by the same internal-combustion engine, albeit in two states of tune and with or without a supplementary electric motor.

 

Nevertheless, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk continues to claim the title of the most potent production SUV in the world in the interim, thank to its 527kW/874Nm 6.2-litre supercharged bent-eight.

 

Just like in the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, the RS Q8 is expected to employ an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, while Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring is set to provide traction. Active anti-roll bars, a 48-volt electrical system and rear-axle steering are also likely.

 

A lithium-ion battery pack is expected to be located below the RS Q8’s boot floor, compromising cargo capacity but offering more than 40 kilometres of driving range when the pure-electric driving mode is engaged.

 

Recent spy shots taken in Europe indicate that the RS Q8 will adopt most of its styling cues from the Q8 Sport concept that made its international debut at the Geneva motor show in March last year.

 

Meanwhile, an SQ8 is still expected to slot in between regular Q8 variants and the RS Q8 flagship, and it is expected to be powered by either a petrol or diesel engine, depending on the market.

 

The European derivative will reportedly run the 320kW/900Nm 4.0-litre turbo-diesel V8 from the SQ7 large SUV, while the North American and Chinese version is set to use an electrified 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 with up to 350kW and 700Nm.

 

As previously reported, the Q8 is Audi’s first attempt at a coupe-style large SUV, which will go toe to toe with the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe when it launches in Australia early next year. The Q8 was revealed earlier this month.

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