6 days ago
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After years of speculation, new spy photos indicate Audi is working on its largest SUV yet for global markets – the seven-seat Q9 – with a high-performance version to top the range.
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Audi is working on what is likely to be its largest SUV yet for global markets – the supposed 2026 Audi Q9, snapped here in SQ9 sports trim – ahead of an expected arrival next year.
The SQ9 is the sports version of the yet-to-be-released Audi Q9, a flagship SUV with three rows of seats sitting above the Q7 and Q8 in the Audi line-up, and set to rival the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS and Range Rover SUVs.
The Q9 comes as the car maker said it intends to push its brand into even higher price territory – with more expensive, lower-volume ‘exclusive’ vehicles – although not quite as dramatically as the transformation of British brand Jaguar into a Bentley competitor.
While well camouflaged, the four circular tailpipes are a giveaway the vehicle spotted is the S variant, and the longer rear door distinguishes it from the next generation of the smaller – but still hardly small – Q7, due later this year.
The rear-end treatment is also different to the next-generation Q7, spy photos show, with a longer rear overhang on the Q9, and a licence plate mounted on the bumper, not the tailgate.
The Q9 is set to be the luxury flagship Audi SUV when the showroom version is introduced in 2026, although it is not yet confirmed for Australia.
Set to offer more passenger and cargo space than any Audi SUV yet, the Q9 is likely to be underpinned by the same Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform as other new petrol-powered Audis.
Exactly how large it will be remains to be seen, but the longest Audi SUV ever sold is the Chinese-market, petrol-powered Q6 (5099mm) which, confusingly, is not only bigger than the unrelated Q6 e-tron electric SUV on sale locally, but also the Q7 and Q8 siblings.
Power is expected to come from a similar range of petrol and diesel engines to other new Audi cars.
Likely for the Q9 is a version of the 373kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 under the bonnet of the SQ7, which has even more power in the high-performance Audi RS Q8 where it makes 471kW/850Nm, the most potent petrol-fueled Audi ever produced.
A hybrid Q9 is likely – given the company has placed a greater focus on plug-in hybrids in recent months as it pushes back electric-car targets.
Diesel power is also a solid chance, given it remains popular in Europe – though the Q9 is likely to be aimed at the Chinese and US markets, which like larger cars.
This prototype also features Audi styling typically reserved for models powered by petrol and diesel including thinner headlights and a honeycomb front grille.
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