A fresh report out of Europe suggests that Audi has applied to register the "RS Q8" badge on the continent, all but confirming rumours that a hot version of the upcoming flagship SUV is in the works.

The Ingolstadt automaker has already confirmed the new Q8 for production in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 2018 as well as hinted at a future RS-badged derivative with the Q8 Sport Concept.

And now, according to VW Vortex, the German brand has registered an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark the RS Q8 name.

The publication speculates that the production version of the RS Q8 will be priced to compete with the BMW X6 M, and likely employ the 4,0-litre twin-turbo V8 that Lamborghini has already confirmed will power its upcoming Urus.

Of course, a smaller Q4 is also expected to join Audi’s burgeoning SUV line-up in the next couple of years, with the first example scheduled to roll off the assembly line in Hungary in 2019.

Original article from Car