Audi’s elegant Q8 flagship SUV is due for an update. Introduced for the 2019 model year, it has stayed largely unchanged since. The biggest update for the 2023 model year was a new set of headlights in the same housings.
But Audi plans a significant refresh for the 2024 model year. It won’t be a redesign from the wheels up but will likely include a remodeled cabin, new infotainment technology, and a reworked exterior to keep the model fresh.
Audi teased the update this week with a sketch that is probably not a 100% reliable guide as to what to expect. We say that principally because of those wheels. Look at them. They must be 30 inches. The current car rides on 21-inch wheels.
But, though the comic-book proportions of the sketch may not entirely carry over, larger wheels are a possibility. The Q8 also seems to be getting reworked taillights with a subtle T motif – perhaps a tip-of-the-hat to the dearly beloved Audi TT, which will cease to exist after the current model year.
That’s all the information anyone has for now. Audi says, “More information about the new Q8 will be available from 12 p.m. on September 5,” so you know when to tune back in for more.
But we wouldn’t encourage you to expect major mechanical changes. Audi is among the automakers pursuing electrification fastest. Though the company didn’t make a formal announcement, Chairman Markus Duesmann reportedly told company leaders Audi could have a 100% electric lineup as early as 2026.
In 2021, Duesmann said Audi had already developed its last new internal combustion engine. That makes us think major powertrain updates are highly unlikely for this refresh. We should also note that if it’s an electric Q8 you’re after, Audi has the Q8 e-tron.
