Audi to phase out E-Tron SUV in favor of Q8 E-Tron in 2026, report says
The new electric SUV will allegedly be larger than the outgoing EV.
Audi's electric car naming scheme has been, at best, a little confusing. The original E-Tron is a very nice two-row SUV, there's an E-Tron GT, which is a coupe-sedan thing. Then the naming conventions changed so that "E-Tron" became a signifier of being electric rather than a model name itself.
Thankfully, Audi seems to be leaning into the latter method of naming things, something that is reinforced by a report published on Nov. 10 by a Belgian website called RTL. That publication confirms that Audi will be phasing out its E-Tron SUV and replacing it with a larger, more luxe SUV called the Q8 E-Tron.
This Q8 E-Tron is due in 2026, three years after a planned midcycle refresh for the current E-Tron SUV, according to Audi boss Markus Duesmann. The new electric uber-SUV is also slated to be one of as many as 20 new fully battery-electric models that Audi plans to launch by 2026.
Production of the Q8 E-Tron will take place in Belgium, which already has a pretty happening automotive industry, owing to the production of other Audi models and Volvo's factory in Ghent.
We reached out to Audi for comment but didn't hear back in time for publication.
