We recently brought you the news of Mercedes building up to replace Audi from the second spot of World’s largest luxury carmaker. Experts speculate that by 2015, Audi will lose its spot as World’s second largest luxury carmaker, after enjoying it for over 6 years. However, the brand with four-rings is not ready to go down without a fight.
Audi has plans to slip past world leader in luxury automotive, BMW to take the top spot by 2018. And for this, the German auto giant plans no less than 18 new or upgraded models in the current calendar. According to Auto Guide, Audi has recently filed papers with the European trademark office to protect seven new car names, dubbed Q6, Q8, R6, S2, S9, RS1 and RS8.
Reports suggest that the Q6 and Q8 models will be Audi’s latest offer in the crossover SUV segment and will battle against the BMW X6. There were previous reports of entire crossover series – Q2, Q4, Q6 and Q8 joining the Audi lineup. The Q8 will replace the Q7 as the top-of-the-range SUV and will be the flagship model of the German brand. Furthermore, the R6 seems like a smaller version of the iconic R8 supercar, with a more competitive price tag.
The S-Line is the performance version of the luxury sedan lineup of Audi. And since the filed names include a S9, there is a possibility that an A9 is in works that will sit above the flagship luxury sedan A8. Similarly, the A2 could be an entry-level coupe in the Audi lineup with the S2 as performance version. The RS1 has been spied previously, which is down-tune version of the A1 Quattro.
Apart from that, Audi has trademarked e-diesel, e-benzin and e-gasoline, which represents the outcome of the heavy investments the company is making in the hybrid car department.
Appears Audi is gearing up to take the number one position as World’s leading luxury carmaker, a label currently enjoyed by BMW. We can’t say for sure which model will actually make it into production, but you can always lay down your money on the brand with four rings.
