Audi Q8 spied with virtually no disguise

Okay, so there’s a wafer-thin strip of tape across the tailgate, but that’s about it.

This is pretty much as clear a view as we’ve had of Audi’s forthcoming Q8 SUV.

Spied by a forum user on the AutoPareri site, the Q8’s base dimensions looks similar not only to the Q8 concept car, but also its Italian cousin, the Lamborghini Urus.

We’ve seen both the Audi Q8 and the Urus pounding around the Nurburgring while wearing the usual dazzle camo disguises and it’s hard to tell them apart. Both ride on the MLB Evo chassis which will also underpin the next-gen Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.

The five-door body has been styled under the auspices of Audi design boss Marc Lichte. Unlike the more upright Audi Q7, the rakish Q8 gets a sleeker front end with a more aggressive grille, more obvious tumblehome, shallower side glass, a gently sloping roofline, and a steeply angled rear window.

Much of its development process has hinged around weight reduction to boost efficiency, with the adoption of aluminium, thinner-gauge high-strength steel, and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, which together help drop the Q8’s bulk towards an initial target weight of 2000kg for the entry-level model.

Expected to pitch into the price gap just below the Bentley Bentayga, the Q8 will deliver much of the cabin look and feel of the current A8 for a genuine luxury appeal. The Q8 concept was first shown at this year’s Detroit show with series production slated to begin next year.