BERLIN -- Audi plans to build a battery-powered version of its range-topping SUV, the Q8, at its plant in Brussels, securing the factory's future, according to Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Automotive News Europe.
Production on the vehicle, which will be called the Q8 e-tron, will begin in 2026, according to the report, which cited company sources.
The plant currently builds the Audi e-tron and e-Tron Sportback EVs, which are due to get a facelift in 2023, then go out of production in 2026. The two cars are underpinned by Audi's MLB Evo platform, which is being phased out and replaced by the Premium Platform Electric.
The Q8 e-tron will replace the Q8, which is built at Volkswagen Group's factory in Bratislava, Slovakia and sold only with combustion engines including hybrid drivetrains.
Audi sold 5,313 units of the Q8 in Europe through April, up 37 percent year-on-year, according to JATO Dynamics market researchers.