Last orders, please! Audi Q8 e-tron set to be axed early in 2025
Launched in 2018, when it was simply called the Audi e-tron, the brand’s first pure-electric car will be retired soon
The end is nigh for the Audi Q8 e-tron, with the brand confirming it’ll cease production of the range-topping electric SUV on 28 February next year, and is not currently accepting any new orders.
An Audi spokesperson told Auto Express: “Against the background of the intended end of production of the Q8 e-tron model family on February 28, 2025 and current strikes by suppliers at the Brussels site, we have introduced a temporary order stop for the Q8 e-tron.”
Audi’s plant in the Belgian capital is set to close its doors when production ends for the Q8 e-tron and coupé-esque Q8 Sportback e-tron, with no plans for an alternative use or a buyer announced at the time of writing. Around 3,000 workers are reportedly facing redundancy as a result.
Initially revealed as a concept back in 2015, Audi’s first mainstream EV went on sale in 2018. It was simply called the Audi e-tron at launch, before being facelifted and renamed as the Q8 e-tron in 2022 to better show its place in the brand’s now extensive line-up of electric cars.
The Audi e-tron/Q8 e-tron isn’t based on a bespoke electric car platform like the Q4 e-tron and Q6 e-tron that came later; instead, it used the same platform as the regular combustion-engined Q8 SUV. Nevertheless, the car felt cutting-edge when it first arrived and offered up to 254 miles of range.
When it hit the streets, the Audi e-tron was a rival to the Mercedes EQC and Jaguar I-Pace, which also have both now been axed. But in 2021, the BMW iX arrived and made quick work of the Audi in one of our twin tests, demonstrating how much the game had moved on in a relatively short period of time.
Audi made significant upgrades to the car as part of its facelift, including much larger battery sizes that could provide more competitive range figures (up to 342 miles) and big power increases, plus a tri-motor SQ8 e-tron version with 496bhp and 973Nm of torque. However, this clearly wasn’t enough to prevent the Q8 e-tron’s demise, although slow demand for luxury electric cars has affected several other brands too.
Auto Express revealed that there are plans for a new Q8 e-tron that could arrive as early as 2026, likely using the PPE platform that underpins the Q6 e-tron which just launched, as well as the Porsche Macan Electric and the forthcoming Bentley electric SUV. However there’s been no official news about the next Q8 e-tron recently.
Now take a look at the best electric SUVs to buy...
