Audi Q8 e-tron Electric SUV Coming in 2026, Will be Built in Brussels

Audi’s electric offensive isn’t slowing down, as news of another all-new electric car is swirling. According to this new report, an upcoming Audi Q8 e-tron all-electric SUV will debut in 2026 and will be built at the Audi Brussels plant.

At the moment, Audi currently builds the e-tron SUV in Brussels, so the upcoming Q8 e-tron seems to be its successor. The current Audi e-tron debuted in 2018 and is already looking a bit old compared to some of its competition from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Admittedly, it will get a mid-cycle facelift in 2023 but it might not be enough to help it compete in a rapidly advancing market. Following the facelift, the e-tron will end its production cycle in 2026, making way for the Audi Q8 e-tron. Though, the Q8 e-tron isn’t said to be a direct successor to the current e-tron.

This report claims that the upcoming Audi Q8 e-tron will be built on the new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) architecture, the same one that underpins the new A6 e-tron and upcoming Q6 e-tron. It’s also the same architecture that will be shared by the Porsche Macan Electric. It’s also said that the Audi Q8 e-tron will be larger than the current e-tron SUV.

The Audi Q6 e-tron is the last electric vehicle of our knowledge planned for Audi. The A6 e-tron is likely next, as the concept car was already revealed, and the Q6 e-tron will follow that, 2022 and 2023 release dates being likely, respectively.

We don’t know if the Audi Q8 e-tron will be the brand’s flagship luxury EV, nor do we know if there will be an internal combustion version of the Q8 alongside it. Though, we do know that Audi is looking to make more and more of its lineup electric, so it’s entirely possible that the Q8 e-tron remains the lone Q8 model on sale when it debuts.

[Source: Automobilwoche.de]