If we all put our heads together and think real hard about why, we might be able to come up with reasoning behind some of Audi’s latest trademark applications.
The trademarks, filed in Europe and Canada, are filed under the tantalizing name of “SQ8” in the vehicle and conveyance classification. The European application is currently pending, but does indicate that Audi is making good on its promise to make the Q8 sporty.
The Q8 is Audi’s new halo SUV, designed to wed the lines of a coupe to a high-riding SUV body. Although the sporty SUV has been in the works since at least 2015, the concept version was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show early this year.
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That version debuted with nearly 450 horsepower from a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Rumors about an RS Q8 cropped up not long after, with a 600-hp 4.0-liter V8 reportedly stuffed into it that would be good for 174 mph and a zero-to-60 time quicker than five seconds. That rumor proved not entirely reliable, though.
Audi has revealed a slightly more powerful concept, called the Q8 Sport Concept in Geneva. That concept had a 3.0-liter V6 with mild hybrid technology giving it an ample 476 hp, good for a 4.7 second zero-to-60 time. Whether the “sport” following the concept’s name becomes an S preceding the real car’s name remains to be seen.
Whatever the case, the road going Q8 is set to debut in 2018 and an SQ8 will likely follow shortly after.
