Audi’s pitch into the very high end of the luxury SUV sector has been unveiled.

THEY’RE calling it a concept, but the Q8 unveiled by Audi at the Detroit motor show today is in reality all but ready to roll.

Expectation is that the showroom spin-off from the car displayed in Motown will be out within a year to stand as new, large, luxury SUV flagship competing against the Mercedes GLW Coupe, BMW X6 and Range Rover.

Unsurprisingly, the concept shares a similar footprint to the Q7 - it’s over five metres long and has a wheelbase of three metres – although it is 40mm lower than the seven-seater wagon.

A sloping roofline and tapered rear end mean the concept is a four-seater, although the production version is expected to be available with five seats, while retaining the 630-litre boot capacity.

Showcased as a plug-in hybrid e-tron model, the Q8 concept is powered by a 3.0-litre TFSI engine paired with an electric motor, which runs from a 17.9kWh lithium-ion battery. The powertrain develops a combined 326kW and 700Nm of torque.

Audi claims 0-100kmh takes 5.4 seconds and the car has a top speed of 250kmh while it emits 53g/km of CO2. Power is delivered via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and quattro four-wheel drive.

Audi NZ has yet to offer comment on this year but it has in the past suggested it would see merit in having another large SUV.