“We have a good value story, more range and more content,” Filip Brabec, senior vice president of product management for Audi of America, said during the press introduction for the EV here in May. “We’re fairly confident … the customers are there, and we’re not in a crazy place with price.”
But there is more competition: The BMW iX, Mercedes EQE crossover, Cadillac Lyriq, Rivian R1S and Genesis Electrified GV70 are new rivals.
The Q8 E-tron joins the smaller Q4 E-tron and the forthcoming Q6 E-tron to give Audi a trio of core electric utility vehicles in a market fully dominated by light trucks.
The Q8 E-tron will also play a key role as Audi counts on EVs and plug-in hybrids to represent 30 percent of U.S. sales in 2025.
The brand plans to sell more than 20 electric models by 2026, when every new model launched will be all-electric. The entire portfolio is expected to be fully electric by 2033.
Audi says the typical Q8 E-tron customer is someone who would also gravitate to the internal combustion engine-powered Q8 midsize crossover.
