Audi’s forthcoming SUV flagship, the Q8, is set spawn a pair of performance models, including what is likely to be the RS Q8 spotted here. We’ve already seen the middling SQ8 version undergoing cold-weather tests, which is rumoured to adopt either the VW Group’s recently introduced 4.0 litre V8 TDI powerplant which serves in the SQ7, or a petrol-electric hybrid variant.
A sleeker-roofed performance SUV based on the MLB Evo platform brings another VW Group model into the picture – the Lamborghini Urus. The 4.0 litre biturbo petrol V8 in the Italian steed produces 650 PS and 850 Nm of torque, and while Lamborghini has stated before that the unit in the Urus is unique to the Italian marque, although it is similar in displacement and configuration to others in the group.
With that in mind, Audi’s various RS models with their own 4.0 litre, twin-turbo V8s already produce close to 600 hp, therefore it might not be too far a stretch to match or at least come closer to the Urus’ 650 PS. The forthcoming high-performance model can be expected to benefit from the latest techonologies including four-wheel steering, electromechanical active roll stabilisation, variable drive modes and more.
Territorial overlaps between Audi and Lamborghini are not new; the R8, especially in V10 guise, has had commonalities with the Gallardo and more recently, the Huracan. Audi does own the Sant’Agata marque, after all, and the growing adoption of common platforms makes this a natural progression. Does this still leave enough room for each ‘twinned’ version to be unique, dear readers?
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