New Audi Q8 to be produced exclusively in Slovakia

The new Audi Q8 SUV will be made exclusively at Volkswagen Slovakia's plant in Bratislava, with its production to be launched in 2018, VW SK spokesperson Lucia Kovarovič Makayová announced on Tuesday. In producing the new upper-class SUV model, VW SK will use technologies and experience learnt from producing the Audi Q7 model. Overall, three SUV models will be produced at what is one of Volkswagen's most advanced body workshops featuring around 1,000 robots - the VW Touareg, Audi Q7 and Audi Q8. Some of the technology at this body workshop is being used for the first time ever by VW, with the level of automatisation reaching 90 percent, eliminating the need for human workers. The Audi Q8 was unveiled as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, with another look designed for serial production by the brand's chief designer Marc Lichte which was presented later in Geneva. The Q8 is speculated to be a plug-in hybrid vehicle with a battery allowing it to travel up to 59 kilometres on a charge. The vehicle is also expected to utilise a large, vertical touch-screen display like those inside the Tesla Model X SUV. The Volkswagen Slovakia plant in Bratislava will thus be producing the following segments: Volkswagen/Audi (Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Audi Q8), Porsche (Porsche Cayenne) and the New Small Family segment (Volkswagen up!, the electric Volkswagen e-up!, SKODA Citigo and SEAT Mii).