Audi Plans Bigger Flagship Crossover by 2020

Audi AG is developing a large crossover vehicle to compete with the Mercedes-Benz GL and upcoming BMW X7 by the end of the decade, CEO Rupert Stadler tells Bloomberg News.

The new model, called the Q8, will be bigger and more luxurious than Audi's current flagship crossover/SUV, the Q7.

Stadler predicts high-end vehicles, which currently account for about 10% of the America market, will capture a 13% share by about the end of the decade. Such models are gaining quickly in other major markets around the world.

Audi hopes to outsell luxury car leader BMW by 2020. Last year BMW and Audi sold 1.81 million and 1.59 million vehicles, respectively.