Audi intends to replace the flagship e-tron electric SUV with a new electric car. The appearance of a novelty named Audi Q8 e-tron was confirmed by the head of the company, Markus Duesmann. This spring, Audi announced that it would soon phase out internal combustion engine production. And by 2023, it will release 20 new electric models. Among them will be the new flagship Audi Q8 e-tron electric SUV. The current Audi e-tron quattro crossover will be updated no later than 2023 and discontinued in 2023.
There are still few details about the Audi Q8 e-tron itself. However, it is expected to be built on the PPE architecture - like the Q6 e-tron, which will debut in 2023. It is also possible to be based on the scalable SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) chassis. From the middle of the decade, the VW Group intends to replace two electric vehicle platforms, MEB and PPE.
Audi has revealed that the Q8 e-tron SUV will be assembled at a plant in Belgium, where the e-tron Sportback is currently manufactured. Audi CEO Markus Duesmann announced this during an event dedicated to the release of the brand's eight millionth car.
"The future will be electric. Our factory is carbon neutral. The next car to be produced here will be the Audi Q8 e-tron, the successor to the current e-tron," Duesmann said. At the same enterprise, the production and final assembly of cars and batteries are carried out.
The Audi Q8 e-tron prototype shows a car that differs markedly from the current e-tron electric car lineup, most notably with a redesigned hexagonal honeycomb grille instead of the traditional horizontal and vertical lines.
The new Audi electric SUV will debut on the market in 2023 and will get a charged Sportback modification soon after the launch.