Audi’s flagship triple motor electric SUV heads to first RHD market

Last week, Tesla notified refreshed Tesla Model X order holders will not be receiving their vehicles in Australia as no right-hand-drive versions of the car will be made. This also included owners who had the high-performance tri-motor Model X Plaid on order who won’t have many options.

Now Audi has announced that it will make its tri-motor Audi SQ8 e-tron available in a right-hand-drive market, the UK.

The flagship model from Audi is the top-of-the-range variant of the all-electric Q8 e-tron SUV. 

Powered by a tri-motor setup, it shares some similarities with the Model X Plaid but still falls short of what Tesla would offer in terms of power and performance.

The SQ8 e-tron’s three motors produce 370 kW of power and 973 Nm of torque. It can propel itself from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds which is nearly two seconds slower than the Model X.

A 106 kWh battery pack feeds this tri-motor powertrain and offers up to 445 km of range on the WLTP test cycle. 

Charging includes an 11 kW AC on-board charger as well as fast charging that can be at speeds of up to 170 kW. 

Audi claims the SQ8 e-tron can charge from 10-80% in 31 minutes. For comparison, Tesla’s Model X can charge at up to 250 kW and can charge from 10-80% in 30 minutes.

It’s available in standard and Sportback version that has sleeker looks from the outside but makes minimal difference to the aerodynamics of the large SUV.

Audi UK Director, Andrew Doyle, commented on what bringing this flagship model into the UK market means for the brand:

 “The arrival of the SQ8 e-tron completes our new-look electric flagship model range and sets a new benchmark for performance and driving dynamics in the segment.”

“We’ve already seen huge interest and demand for our new Q8 e-tron model lineup with its introduction to the UK market back in March.”

These models will start in the UK market with a starting price of $A182,800.

It’s not clear at this stage whether Audi plans to bring this model to the Australian market later this year given it already sells other variants in the e-tron range locally.

The SQ8 e-tron appears to have a strong demand in UK’s right-hand-drive market and given the limited options in Australia for those looking for a flagship electric SUV, it could be a good fit here as well.