Audi’s got a nice little surprise for the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, and from the looks of it, we might be close to finally seeing the production version of the Q8 SUV. Granted, Audi isn’t spilling the beans until Beijing, but the automaker did release a new teaser image on its official Facebook page of what looks to be a side profile outline of a big SUV, accompanied by a short caption that says, “He carries the gene of the #Audi #Urquattro.” Unless this is a model that we’re not expecting, maybe now’s the time to start getting excited about the upcoming Q8.

I have a prediction: if this is the Q8, it’s going to be the production version of the model. We’ve already seen two concept versions of the SUV last year — the Q8 Sport Concept and the Q8 e-Tron Concept — so unless Audi’s taking a page out of Ssangyong, this teaser image is a preview of the production Q8.

Based on what we can see from the teasers, we know it’s going to be an SUV. The tall body and the large wheels are dead giveaways. You can also tell it’s an SUV based on the proportions illuminated by the fluorescent tape. Then there’s the sloped backend, a distinctive feature that we saw on the two Q8 concepts from last year and the number of spy shots of the SUV doing test runs while it was still dressed in heavy camouflage. So yes, unless Audi’s got a big swerve ready for Beijing, our hunch is that this unveiling is going to be the production version of the Q8.

It’s perfect timing for Audi, too. There’s no better place these days to debut a highly anticipated SUV than China. The world’s largest auto market has fed into the crossover and SUV craze like no other country has. More specifically, the demand is high for luxury SUVs in China, so it makes perfect sense for the German automaker to introduce its flagship SUV in that market.

From what we know about the model, the Q8 is expected to share its MLBEvo platform with the Lamborghini Urus and the Bentley Bentayga, two high-priced SUVs that are also in-demand in China. Specific details are still unavailable, but the good news is that we’ll get to learn more about it once the Q8 makes its debut later this week.

As far as hyped SUVs go, this one is on top of that list. It’s nice to know that we’re finally going to see it in full production form.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Audi Q8.

Read our full review on the 2017 Audi Q8 Sport Concept.

Read our full review on the 2017 Audi Q8 E-tron Concept.

Read more Audi news.

Read more 2018 Beijing Auto Show news.