Audi Announces Plans for Q4 and Q8 Production

Audi is making a big push for SUVs, both large and small. Today, the automaker announced production plans for two new models that will arrive near the end of the decade, the Q4 compact utility vehicle and the larger Q8.
In 2019, Audi will begin production of the Q4 in Gyr, Hungary. Here, it will join the Q3, which is destined to transfer from its current facility in Martorell, Spain in 2018.
Adopting the styling of a coupe, the Q4 will slot between the traditional Q3 and Q5 crossovers. Not much else is known about the mid-range model at this point.
Audi announced plans for the Q8 to enter production in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2018. The plant has produced the Q7 since 2005, and it currently makes the second-gen model including key variants such as the Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid and a sporty S model.
The Q8 will serve as Audi's flagship SUV and will utilize a fastback design. A concept unveiled at the recent Geneva Motor Show hinted at a radical design for the model, and previewed a mild hybrid powertrain capable of producing 469 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Audi design chief Marc Lichte called the Q8 Sport concept 95-percent production ready.
In a statement, Audi production boss Hubert Waltl said the two new Q models will "increase our competitiveness in an extremely important segment." That's especially true in the U.S., where Audi's best-selling model last year by far was the Q5.