Our spy photographer sources caught this Porsche Macan-looking test mule spied cold-weather testing, and they’re convinced it’s the next Q8 e-tron. Obviously, the registration tags beginning with the letters “IN” reveal the mule does come from Ingolstadt, home of the Audi development facility and that likely tipped them off. Beyond that, they make a stronger case.
Given the tags, we can rule out a test mule of the next-generation all-electric Cayenne. Porsche Cayenne mules have been seen also wearing Macan bodywork with wider fender flares and a different front end, but this is not that.
The next Q8 e-tron though is expected to be closer in size to the Macan, and given the now current Q8 e-tron is over a year into its mid-lifecycle freshening, it’s about time we start seeing a next-generation Q8 EV. That the next Q8 will migrate to the PPE platform like the Q6 also makes its wearing Macan bodywork not all that odd.
In case you’re wondering, the next-generation Q8 will not look like a Porsche Macan with different headlights. This isn’t FoMoCo in the 80s. Audi’s development department is known for testing early test mules with different bodywork, full-on A-team levels of body construction using existing components because early drivetrain mules don’t need to tip the hat on future design this early in the process.
Check out more photos below.
