Audi RS Q8 spied

Will be powered by the 4.0-litre V8 from the Lamborghini Urus. 

The Q8 was recently revealed as Audi’s flagship SUV. However, the German manufacturer has more variants planned for the Q8, which is clear from these photos. Spied by our partner Quattroruote, the pics reveal a high-performance Q8 variant, most likely RS Q8, doing rounds of the Nurburgring. 

Since the standard Q8 is out already, Audi has only bothered to put camo on the lower half of the test prototype, which will house the key design changes generally associated with RS series. The RS Q8 will sport a wider bodywork, larger air inlets, big oval exhaust pipes, upgraded brakes and of course, massive wheels. 

The exciting element of the RS Q8 will lie under its hood, where reports point towards the performance SUV adopting the twin-turbo V8 from the Lamborghini Urus. In the latter’s case, this 4.0-litre units pumps 641bhp and 820Nm. However, this motor might be slightly detuned for Audi, but power output is rumoured to be around the 600bhp mark anyway, thus ensuring that the RS Q8 will be second only to its Italian cousin.

Global reveal of Audi RS Q8 is expected to happen sometime in 2019. It will compete with the likes of other high-performance SUVs such as the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR, BMW X6 M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo.