Audi Q8
Large luxury SUV coupe · 2019–present. 10,352 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
It was created by AUDI AG. Marc Lichte, then Head of Design, presented the Q8 concept and its design language as the new spearhead of the Q line. Production and Logistics board member Hubert Waltl announced the Bratislava production plan in April 2017. Audi Sport GmbH presented the RS Q8 performance in 2024, with its boss Rolf Michl highlighting the team’s work on the Nürburgring record.
Audi announced in April 2017 that it would build the Q8 in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 2018. The current factory profile confirms Q8 production there since 2018 and Q7 production since 2005. The original U.S. sales table classifies Q8 as imported. Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Germany.
The Q8 concept debuted at the Detroit auto show in January 2017. The production version had its world premiere on June 5, 2018, in Shenzhen, China, at the Audi Brand Summit. In September 2018 Audi announced U.S. pricing, and it arrived as a 2019 model.
Audi is the Latin imperative of listen, chosen when August Horch could not reuse his surname for his new company. Q identifies the brand’s high-floor vehicles and the number indicates size and position in the range. Audi presented Q8 as its top SUV in 2018 and again called it the Q-family flagship in 2023; today the new Q9 sits above it.
In a January 2017 interview, Marc Lichte acknowledged the success of the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe but criticized their rear headroom. The Q8 concept aimed to combine a low roof with four comfortable seats; Lichte described the Q7’s wheelbase, larger wheels and wider track. The production U.S. Q8 arrived with five seats: the four-seat goal belonged to the concept.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 12019–2023 · 4M
The SUV coupe that opened a segment for Audi
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 What changed. It was a new model with no predecessor: it arrived as the Q7’s sister model, with a low roof and only two rows of seats. From the 1980s Ur-quattro it inherited the wide, flat rear pillar and the strong shoulders over the wheels. In the U.S. it arrived with a 335 hp, 369 lb-ft 3.0-liter turbo V6, an eight-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive with a 40:60 split. It started at $68,395 including destination.
The innovation. The U.S. 2019 Q8 had a standard 48-volt mild-hybrid system with a 10 Ah battery and belt alternator starter to smooth start/stop operation; the global document also describes braking energy recovery. Standard MMI touch response used a 10.1-inch upper screen and an 8.6-inch lower screen, alongside the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
If you buy one usedCheck with NHTSA that these recalls were done: front shock absorber forks that could crack (19V114, 2019), a steering shaft bolt that could loosen (20V149, 2019), a fuel pump that could fail (22V516, 2019–2021) and a transmission oil pipe with an insufficient weld that could leak (20V272, 2020). Campaign 25V900 fixes rearview camera software (2019–2026), and on 2019 models 26V125 fixes lane departure warning after that repair. At IIHS, the 2019 Q8 earned Good in every crash test and was a Top Safety Pick with specific headlights. 26V125 requires the additional lane-warning software work on affected 2019 cars after 25V900. The 2019 Good grades refer to the listed crashworthiness categories under their test protocols; the headlight-dependent award is separate from later updated tests. - Gen. 22024–present · 4M (actualización)
Digital lights and a new face
Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It is not a new generation but a deep update of the same Q8, which AutoGuide identifies as a 2024 model-year update in the United States. The front and rear bumpers changed, the octagonal grille got vertical inlays, and the Audi rings turned flat, in white and black instead of chrome. New wheels, colors and an app store with services like Spotify and Amazon Music arrived. At the top of the range, the RS Q8 performance reached 640 PS, the highest output announced for a series-production combustion Audi Sport model at its June 2024 presentation.
The innovation. The 2023 German launch described optional HD Matrix LED headlights with 24 LEDs and one laser diode per headlight as an additional high beam, active from 70 km/h. It also offered four selectable daytime light signatures and optional digital OLED taillights: with Q8 stationary, all segments activate when a vehicle approaches from behind within two meters. Functions and availability depend on market and equipment.
If you buy one usedAsk for proof of these NHTSA recalls: a driver's seat side air bag that may have been mounted incorrectly (23V868, 2023–2024), a front passenger seat occupant-sensor connection that could loosen and switch off that air bag (24V251, 2024), front seat belt buckles missing a rivet (25V777, 2025) and rearview camera software (25V900, 2019–2026). In IIHS's tougher tests for the 2025 model, it earned Good in the small overlap front and updated side tests, Marginal in the updated moderate overlap test and Poor in vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention 2.0. For affected VINs, 23V868 uses inspection/conditional airbag reinstallation, 24V251 replaces the ODS module, 25V777 replaces both front buckles and 25V900 updates software. Confirm actual eligibility and completed work; individual test-category grades and model years remain distinct.
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