Again in 2021, spy pictures of a large-ish German SUV began going round, the intel from spy shooters being that this was an early prototype of a future Audi Q9. Over the autumn of that 12 months, extra spy pictures confirmed the proto evolving out of Volkswagen Atlas bodywork into a correct Audi design. Audi is reported to have advised its U.S. sellers in 2022 to count on the Q9 in some unspecified time in the future, however prototypes disappeared from view till earlier this month. Now, new spy pictures and a report out of Australia show an Audi Q9 is on the way in which. When Australian outlet CarSales requested Audi Australia director Jeff Mannering about the opportunity of fielding an providing above the Q7, Mannering stated, “Sure after all. … Are we it? From an Australian standpoint, most likely not in isolation however I believe globally, they [Audi HQ] are totally different segments and what’s profitable in a few of the greater markets.” As for timing, the expectation is someday within the subsequent two years, simply wire forward of the cutoff for Audi’s swap to EV-only product launches.
The three-row SUV is sort of sure to trip on the identical MLB Evo platform that underpins the Q7 and Q8, plus VW Group merchandise just like the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Bentley Bentayga. Except Audi decides to do one thing unseen within the phase, it makes extra sense to think about the Q9 as an extended, roomier Q8 than Q7; the Q9’s upright roof and square-ish again finish will stop it from being confused for the slimmer Q7. The GLS and X7 are each about 203 inches lengthy, the Q8 about 197 inches, the Q7 a contact over 199 inches.
And since Audi hasn’t been stingy with efficiency choices for its giant SUVs, an SQ9 looks like an apparent follow-up, an RS Q9 a possible AMG GLS and XM fighter.
If all of this turns right into a retail Q9, it is a surprise Audi waited so lengthy. The model’s held the trademark on the title for greater than 10 years, and the opponents — the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7 — are undoubtedly profitable right here. Final 12 months, the GLS had its lowest gross sales tally within the U.S. since 2009, transferring simply 15,340 items; from 2011 to 2021, that quantity did not fall beneath 24,000. The newer BMW X7 is much more well-liked, itself struggling an off 12 months final 12 months within the U.S. with 22,795 items bought, in comparison with 30,705 items moved in 2022. The revenue margins at this finish of the market lend outsized weight to these numbers within the accounting division.
