DETROIT, MICH.—Once upon a time, the flagship model in a car maker's line up—the car it packed with all the latest and greatest technology—was a large sedan. But change is afoot within the industry, and premium SUVs are selling like hot cakes. So it makes sense that Audi has decided to add a new model to its range, a super SUV arriving in 2018 called the Q8. To get the world ready for this new standard-bearer, it brought a thinly veiled concept to this year's North American International Auto Show.

The current Q7 SUV has been a huge sales success for Audi, so it's easy to see why the company made this decision. That doesn't mean it's going to do away with the A8 sedan; a new version of that car is due later this year. But the Q8 uses the same underlying platform and, we think, will find many more buyers thanks to the added practicality. It's a looker, too. The Q8 draws heavily on a pair of recent Audi concepts, the e-tron and h-tron, with plenty of styling cues pulled from the company's past. The flared wheel arches and the C-pillars intentionally call to mind the iconic Audi Quattro of the 1980s, for example.

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Audi

Jonathan Gitlin

Audi

Although the Q8 will come with a range of different powertrains, the one Audi chose to reveal to the world is a plug-in hybrid. A 333hp (245kW) 3.0L V6 TSFI lives under the hood and is joined by a 100kW (134hp) electric motor that is integrated into the eight-speed transmission. At the back is a 17.9kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which should help the big Q8 get pretty good mileage; the quoted figures are 102.3mpg (2.3L/100km) and an all-electric range of 37.3 miles (60km). And with a combined 442hp (333kW) and 516lb-ft (700Nm), it should be no slouch either.

Perhaps even more interesting than the powertrain is the Q8's interior, for the concept is, we're told, remarkably faithful to the production version. OK, those extremely thin seats won't make the cut, but you can expect much of the rest to make it to the showroom. (In fact, you'll see the same interior architecture used in the new A8 later this year as well.) The design is a much edgier style than we've been used to from Audi of late, but you can still see a clear progression from the OEM's current layout.

Those of you who hate the way car makers seemingly tack on infotainment screens like an afterthought have cause for celebration. The "black panel" design integrates two haptic feedback screens into the dash, similar to the setup that we demoed in Munich last year. The upper screen handles infotainment and uses a tile-based UI. The lower screen is for climate controls and the like and has some hard-coded buttons, so building up muscle memory shouldn't be a problem (and thanks to the haptic feedback you'll know when you've pushed a button).

The driver gets a revised Virtual Cockpit instrument panel, and there's an augmented reality heads-up display on its way as well. We can also expect cutting-edge driver assists; Audi has already committed to building level 3 autonomy into the A8, and therefore it'll show up in the Q8 as well.

Listing image by Jonathan Gitlin