First Audi Q8 e-tron rolls-off production line in Brussels

KUALA LUMPUR: Yes, Audi’s latest range-topping electric SUV, the Q8 e-Tron has entered production and the first unit has even been driven off the production facility.

Audi’s Brussels facility has been the one incharge of the EVs production and is known for its sustainable production methods. It is the same plant where the brand initiated the manufacturing of its e-tron range. Since 2018, the facility has delivered around 160,000 units of Audi's first electric model.

Customers in Europe and United States will receive the Q8 e-tron as a net carbon-neutral1 car. And from 2025 onwards, production at all Audi plants will be carbon neutral, under the company-wide environmental program, called Mission:Zero.

A few highlights of Audi’s Brussels plant -

• It was named ‘Factory of the Future' in 2022 by the employer’s association Agoria
• The facility has been recognized as the world’s first certified carbon-neutral high-volume production plant in the premium segment

• As early as 2012, the plant switched to green power
• It comes installed with the region’s largest photovoltaic systems, covering 107,000 sq meter area. The said system generates around 9000-megawatt hours of power annually which is enough to charge 90,000 Q8 e-trons units

• Even the battery cells supplied to the plant are obligated to be made using renewable energy source
• In 2021, the plant produced 43,866 fully electric cars
• From second-half of 2023, the facility will begin producing the Q4 e-tron with more than 3,000 employees on duty

As for the all-new Q8 e-tron, it comes with an optimized drive concept, higher charging performance, improved aerodynamics, and battery capacity. All of this results in an enhanced range of up to 582 km in the SUV and 600 km in the Sportback version. Also, several components of the EV use recycled materials, all of which are recovered via the recycling process.

Are you excited about the new Audi Q8 e-tron? Let us know in the comments.

Also Read: Audi RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback get an extra dose of ‘Performance’