A new RS-badged Audi is headed for the Geneva Show early next month, and it won’t be a new coupe, sedan, or hot hatch, Autocar reports. This time, the German automaker’s sport division, Audi Sport, is expected to debut the RS Q8, a high-performance SUV that’s aimed squarely at dethroning the Mercedes AMG GLE 63 Coupe and BMW X6 M.
Audi recently revealed the Q8 concept at the Detroit Auto Show just last month, but keeping true to the brand’s promise to add eight more RS models by 2018, the Q8 will soon have a high-performance sibling. Details remain scarce, but rumor has it that the RS Q8 will use a modified version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 we’ve been seeing in a handful of both Audi and Porsche models—the S8, RS 7, new Panamera Turbo, etc.
Power is expected to be around 600 horsepower, and insiders at Audi suggest a sub-five second 0-60 time. Most impressive, though, is its purported top speed—more than 186mph, which puts it in spitting distance to the fastest SUV on sale today, the Bentley Bentayga.
To match its impressive performance figures, the RS Q8’s styling will be more aggressive, and we can expect to see a new, wider grill design, which will work in tandem with a new front splitter to provide more direct airflow to the engine’s radiators.
Keep the RS models coming, Audi.