Cape Town, April 30, 2019 – The Audi Q8 brings together the best of both worlds – the elegance of a four-door luxury coupé and the practical talents of a large SUV. The generously dimensioned interior with variable luggage compartment, state-of-the-art operating and suspension technologies as well as intelligent driver assistance systems make the Audi Q8 a composed companion for business and leisure. Positioned as the halo vehicle to Audi’s Q model range, the Audi Q8 officially retails in South Africa from 1 May 2019.

Versatile, sporty, elegant: the dimensional and space concept

The Audi Q8 exudes sporty dynamics and upscale prestige like no other SUV from the brand with the four rings. 4.99 meters long, 2.00 meters wide and 1.71 meters tall, the SUV coupé is wider, shorter and lower than its Q7 sister model. With a wheelbase of nearly 3.00 meters, it offers a spacious interior that beats that of its direct competitors in most relevant dimensions, including interior length and headroom. The three-seat system in the rear can be slid forward and backward as desired. With the seat backrests folded down, the luggage compartment under the power rear hatch holds up to 1,755 litres.

New presence for the Q family: the exterior design

The Audi Q8 is an impressive representative of the progressive design language that Audi first brought onto the road with the new A8 and will follow into all new future Audi models. With the imposing Singleframe in octagonal design, the Audi Q8 is the new face of the Q family. The brawny radiator grille stands upright and, together with the spoiler that has been drawn toward the front and the large, highly contoured air inlets, emphasizes the self-confident look. A wide mask optionally finished in a contrasting colour connects the Singleframe to the distinctive headlights. The elegantly sloping roofline terminates in gently inclined D-pillars and rests against the quattro blisters above the wheel arches, which house up to 22-inch wheels. Numerous details echo the design of the Ur-quattro. A narrow, high-gloss black element with an integrated light strip extends between the rear lights. This is a feature of top Audi models, accentuating the width of the Q8. It creates an independent light signature day or night, just like on the Ur-quattro back in the day. Strong contours and athletically tight surfaces convey a feeling of power, sophistication and the special dynamics of permanent all-wheel drive.

The Audi Q8 is available in a choice of twelve colours: two solid paint finishes and ten metallic or pearl effect shades. The new colour Dragon orange, which is exclusive to the Q8, dramatically underscores the sporty design. Standard HD matrix LED headlights illuminate the road. Here both the three-dimensional signature of the daytime running lights and the taillights have a digital character.

Sporty driving experience: suspension and drive

With as much as 254 millimetres of ground clearance, short overhangs, quattro permanent all-wheel drive and hill descent control, the Audi Q8 can keep going when paved roads end. The suspension with damper control is standard.

Audi offers the adaptive air suspension with controlled damping as an option, with either comfort or sport setup. It adjusts the ride height depending on the driving situation and the driver’s preference by as much as 90 millimetres.

Besides the standard progressive steering, whose steering ratio becomes increasingly direct the further the steering wheel is turned, Audi also offers the option of all-wheel steering. It can turn the rear wheels as much as 5 degrees – counter to the direction of the turn at low speeds to increase agility and at higher speeds in the direction of the turn for better stability.

The new Audi Q8 55 TFSI is equipped with a six-cylinder spark-ignition engine with three litres of engine displacement and direct injection that produces 250 kW. In the wide rpm range from 1,370 to 4,500 revolutions per minute, it develops a maximum torque of 500 Nm. Thanks to the turbocharged petrol engine, the Audi Q8 sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. Its maximum speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. An additional engine variant in the form of a 3.0 TDI (45 TDI) will be available in South Africa from mid-year 2019.

The Audi Q8 55 TFSI consumes between 9.1 – 8.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, corresponding to 207 – 210 grams of CO2 per kilometre, depending on the chosen equipment level. Standard capacity of its fuel tank is 85 litres.

The drive train is particularly efficient thanks to the new mild hybrid technology (MHEV). The 48-volt main electrical system incorporates two important technology modules: a lithium-ion battery and a belt alternator starter. During braking, it can recover up to 12 kW of power and feed it back into the battery. The MHEV technology enables long coasting phases with the engine deactivated and a start-stop range that begins at 22 km/h. In customer operation, it reduces consumption by up to 0.7 litres per 100 kilometres.

Clarity is the new premium: the interior

The interior of the Audi Q8 is a luxury lounge. Easy-to-understand symbols stand for the digital precision from Audi and for the high level of integration of architecture and operation. The central element is the top MMI touch response display. With its black-panel look, it almost dissolves into a large, black surface when switched off. All elements refer logically to one another, from the flat air vent strip to the wide console on the centre tunnel bearing the tiptronic selector lever. In the dark, the contour light traces the distinctive design lines of the interior and provides backlight for the three-dimensionally lasered quattro badge above the glove compartment – an example for the love of detail at Audi. Audi offers the contour/ambient lighting package as standard in the new Q8. This lighting package attractively showcases the interior. In the indirect ambient lighting radiated from a surface source, the instrument panel, door linings and centre tunnel seem to float, while the precise contour lighting traces the distinctive design lines.

The numerous colours and materials that Audi offers in the Q8 impart the elegant interior with a high degree of exclusiveness and a sporty atmosphere. Even the entry-level seats are covered with cricket leather. Above these are a choice of selections, which features Alcantara/ leather combination or Valcona leather. The customized contour seats can be covered in Cedar brown, Black, Metropolis Grey or Beige Valcona leather with contrasting piping. Customers who order the S line sport package get sport seats covered in Valcona leather with embossed S logo in the front seat backs. The S sport seats are also available in Valcona leather with a rhombus pattern and embossed rhombus S logo.

The Audi Q8 rolls off the assembly line with four-zone automatic air conditioning as standard. A particularly effective allergen and pollutant filter as well as a separate touch control unit for the rear passengers. With the convenience key, the doors and luggage compartment hatch can be opened and locked without actively using the key, which just has to be present.

Sensitive and concise: controls and displays

With the MMI touch response operating concept of the new Audi Q8, nearly every function can be accessed via two large displays. The upper 10.1-inch display is used for controlling the infotainment and the navigation system. The driver uses the 8.6-inch display below that for heating and air conditioning, convenience functions and text input, the latter with his or her wrist resting comfortably and ergonomically on the selector lever.

Operation is swift and simple: A tactile and acoustic click confirms when a finger activates a function. In addition to all this, the natural language voice control turns the Audi Q8 into an intelligent dialog partner. Drivers can word their commands freely. The voice control can, for example, understand the sentence “I am hungry” and in response suggests restaurants close by.

The instruments are shown in the fully digital Audi virtual cockpit which is standard on the vehicle. Its high-resolution 12.3-inch display can be switched between two views via the multifunction steering wheel. The head-up display also projects important information onto the windshield, including detailed lane guidance for navigation.

Sound and technology

Telephony in the Audi Q8 is top-notch with respect to operation, sound and connection quality. The Audi phone box connects the smartphone to the vehicle’s antenna and charges the phone inductively. Another function, Voice-over-LTE, helps to connect faster and makes it possible to use high-speed data transfer and high-resolution online voice telephony (HD Voice) at the same time. The Audi smartphone interface connects to customers’ iOS and Android cell phones – in the future even wirelessly in the case of the iPhone – and places their Apple Car Play or Android Auto environment on the MMI display.

To play music from an MP3 player, USB stick or smartphone through the car’s loudspeakers, the Audi Q8 has two USB ports under the centre armrest as well as two optional USB ports in the rear, all of which also include a charging function. The standard Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System with 23 speakers brings the 3D sound with its height information to the front seats as well as to the rear. The music unfolds exactly how it was recorded at the concert hall – a fascinating listening experience.

Driver assistance systems: The individual options

Whether parking, in the city or on long journeys – the Audi Q8 supports and relieves its driver in many situations. Audi offers a number of assist systems separately. The Audi Q8 comes standard with parking aid plus with 360 degree display (surround view cameras) which makes it stress-free to manoeuvre in and out of parking spaces. The night vision assist improves difficult visibility after dark. It uses an infrared camera to detect pedestrians and larger wild animals at great distances and marks them with a yellow frame in the Audi virtual cockpit.

The new Audi Q8 includes the functions of adaptive cruise control, and active lane assist, Audi pre sense front including turn assist. The system detects lane markings, roadside structures, vehicles in adjacent lanes and vehicles driving ahead. The improved adaptive cruise assist slows and accelerates the Audi Q8 predictively by analysing sensor information, navigation data and traffic signs. It automatically adjusts to the current speed limit, reduces the speed before corners, during turning and on roundabouts. The system always considers a driving style in keeping with the selected driving program, from efficient to sporty, and thus with its predictions optimally supports the advantages of the mild hybrid technology (MHEV).

If the adaptive cruise control is deactivated, the efficiency assist displays predictive tips in the instrument cluster and also provides haptic feedback through the active accelerator pedal. By so doing the system helps the driver to drive efficiently. This results from the use of the MHEV recuperation and the intelligent selection of coasting or thrust, depending on the events ahead.

The emergency assist ensures safety in exceptional circumstances. It detects within system limits whether the driver is inactive and, in such cases, prompts them via visual and acoustic signals as well as brief activation of the brakes to retake active control. If this does not prompt a reaction, the system takes control of the Audi Q8 and automatically stops it in its own lane. This also activates the safety measures of Audi pre sense system.

Standard equipment

An extensive list of standard equipment is available on the Audi Q8 55 TFSI quattro tiptronic:

4-way lumbar support for the front seats
Additional front underbody guard
Anti-theft wheel bolts and loose wheel warning
Audi connect (Limited features)
Audi drive select
Audi music interface in the rear seat area
Audi pre sense basic
Audi smartphone interface
Audi virtual cockpit
Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror, frameless
Bluetooth interface
Body-coloured bumpers (full paint finish)
20 inch Cast alloy wheels, 5-arm style, 9J x 20
Collapsible spare tyre
Comfort automatic air conditioning system, four-zone
Comfort key with sensor-controlled luggage compartment release
Contour/ambient lighting package
Cruise control system incl. speed limiter
Electric steering wheel adjustment
Electromechanical power steering
Exterior mirrors, power-adjustable, heated, folding, auto-dimming with memory, front pass. ext. mirror lowering function
HD Matrix LED headlamps with dynamic turn signal
Headlamp washer system
Headlight range control
High-Gloss styling package
Hold assist
ISOFIX child seat anchors and top tether for the rear bench seat
ISOFIX child seat anchors for the front passenger seat
Cricket Leather upholstery
Leather steering wheel, 3-spoke, with multi-function Plus and shift paddles
LED rear combination lamps with dynamic turn signal and animation
Luggage compartment cover
Luggage compartment lid, electrically opening and closing
MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch
MMI Radio plus with MMI touch response
Mild hybrid chassis
Operating buttons in black glass look with haptic feedback including extended aluminium look
Panoramic glass sunroof
Parking aid Plus with 360° display
Power-adjustable front seats including memory feature for the driver seat
Bang & Olufsen sound system with 3D sound
quattro (with self-locking centre differential)
Rear bench seat Plus
Regenerative braking
Roof spoiler including centre high-mounted stop lamp
Scuff plates with aluminium inserts in front and rear, illuminated, with "S" logo in front
Seat heaters in front
Side airbags in front and curtain airbag system
Stainless steel loading edge protection
Standard suspension with damper controls
Surround view cameras
Tyre pressure monitoring system

In addition, three S line packages are available locally to order: the S line Black, S line Platinum and S line Sports packages. In an effort to reduce complexity and configure their vehicles with a defined, packaged, sportier look, South African consumers can select between a S line Black package (S line exterior; high gloss black package; exterior mirror in black; black roof rails; 22” wheels; Adaptive air suspension; brake callipers in red); the S line Platinum package (S line exterior; single frame mask in platinum grey; 22” wheels; Adaptive air suspension; brake callipers in red) or the S line Sports interior package (4-way lumbar support for front seats; adaptive air suspension sport; decorative inserts in matte brushed aluminium; headlining in black; pedals and footrest in stainless steel; S line logos on exterior; scuff plates with aluminium inserts in front and rear and illuminated with S logo; sport seats in front and stainless steel load edge protection).

Pricing

The Audi Q8 55 TFSI quattro tiptronic will be priced at R1,388,000 standard with the 5 year / 100 000km Audi Freeway plan and inclusive of all taxes.

Ends

All terms in blue in the text are explained in detail in the technology lexicon at www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/technology-lexicon.