A New Era: Porsche and Audi Might Soon Launch Full-Size Three-Row eSUVs

Americans love pickup trucks and wannabe SUVs. Ford and its F-series, Chevy and its Silverados, and Ram with its 1500, 2500, and 3500 units championed new vehicle sales last year. Toyota came very close to the podium with the Rav4. Less than 10,000 individual customers were needed to propel the Rav4 to the third spot and replace Ram. Tesla's Model Y was in fifth place with over 394,000 sales.

Although Tesla's all-electric crossover can be ordered with three rows of seats, those sitting the farthest back don't have any good leg or headroom. The third row is suitable for kids or teenagers, at the most.

You would have to go all the way down to the 10th spot to find the best-selling SUV with three rows of seats. Even that one – the Jeep Grand Cherokee L – is available as an upgrade over the base five-seater Jeep Grand Cherokee. Thus, seven- or eight-seater SUVs aren't all that important in the grand scheme of things.

However, they matter to traditional brands like BMW or Mercedes-Benz and newcomers like Rivian for one very important reason – profit margins. Customers who automatically disregard the existence of minivans tend to cough up more cash or agree to more generous monthly payments to get a high-riding vehicle that can accommodate more people.

Making everyone happy

Even brands like Kia are spending good money to bring us models such as the EV9, which is a reinterpreted and completely electrified Telluride with great capabilities such as bidirectional charging.

The three-pointed star carmaker also manufactures the posh and all-electric EQS SUV. It can be optioned with a third row of seats accommodating two (young and not very tall) people. The available room back there is almost similar to what's in the rear of the Tesla Model X or the BMW X5.

Long story short, the third-row space doesn't come close to what the GLS offers. An average-sized adult will be cramped back there.

Audi offered a three-row SUV for quite a while. The Q7 (and SQ7!), available to order even today, are well known in the US and other parts of the world. However, the Ingolstadt-based marque knew it had nothing in the Q7 to compete with what BMW or Mercedes-Benz were making. So, they kept working behind the scenes to create the Q9 – a real full-size SUV with three rows of seats and decent room for some cargo.

They've been at it for quite some time, though! Audi officials first mentioned the Q9 moniker all the way back in 2014, when former CEO Rupert Stadler (who pleaded guilty to fraud in the Dieselgate case) said he was confident that the full-size SUV would find a sizeable customer base.

After nearly a decade of rumors and a couple of years of spy shots that suggested a bigger Audi SUV was coming, it looks like we're inching closer and closer to the official confirmation.

It's almost here!

Last year, an Audi design executive hinted at the creation of a new all-electric SUV that was supposed to debut with a rugged appearance. The speculation led to stories that anticipated an Ingolstadt-born zero-emission rival for the G-Class and the Defender. That made sense because Audi said it would launch only EVs from 2026 onwards.

A few days ago, Audi Australia boss Jeff Mannering talked to CarSales and didn't even attempt to dismiss the idea that the Q9 was on its way. He even smiled when he said the SUV's name "has a nice ring to it."

A larger Audi would totally make sense for the current car market, especially if it can fight the Rivian R1S and come to market in battery-electric form before Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Land Rover (or JLR, as the company is called now) launch their own models. The all-electric G-Wagen and Range Rover are on the way, though!

For those among us who are already convinced that the Q9 will be just a posh VW Atlas without an exhaust system, here's something that might change your mind: Audi is also responsible for the success of the Bentley Bentayga. They have what it takes to create a swanky six- or seven-seater.

Moreover, a Texas-based Audi Grapevine employee confirmed in a private Facebook group that Sugar Design's render of the upcoming Q9 is the closest depiction of the real deal. Since major dealerships already learned about it, there must not be much left before we're allowed to discover the production-ready version.

But as Audi and Bentley benefit from being members of the well-known VW Group, so does Porsche.

The (extended) family vehicle with 911 DNA

The iconic sports car manufacturer shocked purists by bringing forward an SUV and following in BMW X6's footsteps with a less practical SUV that had a sloped roofline. Now, it seems it's time for a new challenge – creating and selling a full-size people-hauler that will honorably wear the crest!

Late last year, Porsche organized a preview session for the all-electric Macan in Leipzig, Germany. Officials confirmed to some of those present that the Stuttgart-based automaker is in the midst of creating a bigger sibling for the Cayenne. In the words of one of the attendees, it would be an "ultra-luxury electric SUV" that should slot above the pricey machine named after a somewhat hot chili pepper.

Porsche launching a three-row SUV would make total sense. However, since we're hearing nothing about V6s or V8s hiding under its hood, it might take a while before the big brother shows up.

The brand launched the Taycan with a brand-new interior design that quickly trickled down to other models. The Cayenne has just been refreshed and doesn't come in EV form.

However, the Macan and the 718 are poised to debut with a high-voltage battery and a changed interior. The iconic 911 is also going to be hybridized. It only makes sense to have the next-gen Cayenne evolve into an all-electric SUV. Then, the bigger sibling could follow.

That timeline also tells us that it might be a while before we see the three-row, high-riding Porsche trying to convince Europeans and Americans that looking at the affordable EV9 or the likable R1S is not worth it.

I reached out to Porsche regarding the Cayenne's upcoming sibling. They didn't get back to me, which is understandable. The whole thing is supposed to remain a secret.

If you ask me, I would say that Audi is preparing to take on what BMW and Mercedes-Benz are doing, while Porsche is looking to steal market share from Land Rover. We'll see what's what soon enough. Until then, if you plan to buy a seven-seater eSUV, wait. Audi or Porsche might bring something you'll love. They might even manage to make your forget about the Defender 130!

BMW might also want to rush the development of the "iX7." The fight for well-off customers who like new-age minivans with bling is poised to become intense.