AUDI'S LONG-RUMORED Q9 SUV WILL LAUNCH IN 2026, EXEC SAYS, ALONG WITH THE NEXT-GENERATION Q7
Generally speaking, if two of Germany's three largest luxury carmakers are competing in a successful (i.e. profitable) niche, it won't be long until the third joins the fray. Yet while Mercedes-Benz has offered a full-size three-row SUV for 19 years now and BMW has had one in production for nearly seven, Audi has yet to lead its own charge into the top-end segment of the lux-sport-ute category, leaving the likes of the GLS-Class and X7 to instead fight primarily against the truck-based likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
That changes next year, however. Come 2026, Audi will finally launch its long-awaited full-size SUV known as the Q9.
The news comes from Automobilwoche, Germany's version of Automobile News, and was brought to broader attention via Australian website Carsales. According to the report, Geoffrey Bouquot, member of the board of management for technical development at Audi, revealed that the long-rumored Q9 will make its debut in 2026; the next-generation Q7 will also be revealed the same year.
While rumors have swirled for years about a potential Q9, it's only been within the last year or so that apparent prototypes have been captured by spy photographers, including even at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. While the dazzle camouflage wraps on the test cars may throw off U-boat commanders' aim, the general details of the design are fairly apparent—most notably the general size of the beast, as well as its interpretation of the low-headlight-separate-LED-running-lamp trend that's been spreading across the car industry recently, and has already been seen on Audi models like the A6 E-Tron.
As you might expect considering the current mood in the automotive world, these new Audis will be internal combustion-powered; no details about the engines have yet been given, but a glance at the current and upcoming lineup suggests a mix of V-6 mild hybrid and PHEV models seems likely, with higher-trim models potentially using a version of Porsche's Euro 7-compliant V-8. (Given how many American buyers use their large SUVs to tow, an eight-cylinder option seems like a necessity for the U.S.) And both SUVs will reportedly be built on Audi's "Premium Platform Combustion"—an unsurprising move, given Audi has said that platform will be the foundation for the ICE-powered side of its immediate future.
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