Historically, Audi has been late to almost every segment, especially premium SUVs. But the German automaker is lucky to have a strong following, especially in China. That could be the reason why the all-new Audi Q9 is currently under development.
Both Mercedes and BMW have developed long 3-row SUVs. While they're offensive to brand purists, these are actually some of the most high-tech and comfortable vehicles with German badges. It's only natural to assume that the Audi Q9 is a direct competitor for the models mentioned above.
At this point, we can't say for sure if that's what's going on. When the presumed Q9 flagship was first sighted, we said its camouflage design gave it away as a prototype from/for China. Not only that, but the proportions appeared to indicate it was using the platform of the Volkswagen Atlas (called Teramont in China), which is an XXL version of the MQB.
What would that even look like, an Audi version of the Atlas? Pretty good, according to these renderings from the Chinese artist Sugar Design. They depict a combination between a practical box shape and the sporty lines of a Q8.
Audi is the oldest German brand in China and one of the most popular "imports" (it's still locally made). So developing models specifically for those customers isn't a bad idea. In addition, Audi hasn't really made the best use out of the MQB platform. For a moment, it looked like the A4 sedan's replacement was going to switch to a Passat architecture, but Audi reconsidered the decision.
Not only does that not sound like a flagship model, but it's also quite confusing. If it's not the Q9, what are they going to call it? Audi doesn't use normal names, so it's not like they can say this is the "Family Rocket 9000" and be done with it. Every number is used, including Q6, which is supposed to belong to an all-electric model.
It's not like having a horizontal engine makes SUVs less premium. And while a 4.0-liter seems out of the question, you can still get decent power out of a turbo V6.
At this point, we can't say for sure if that's what's going on. When the presumed Q9 flagship was first sighted, we said its camouflage design gave it away as a prototype from/for China. Not only that, but the proportions appeared to indicate it was using the platform of the Volkswagen Atlas (called Teramont in China), which is an XXL version of the MQB.
What would that even look like, an Audi version of the Atlas? Pretty good, according to these renderings from the Chinese artist Sugar Design. They depict a combination between a practical box shape and the sporty lines of a Q8.
Audi is the oldest German brand in China and one of the most popular "imports" (it's still locally made). So developing models specifically for those customers isn't a bad idea. In addition, Audi hasn't really made the best use out of the MQB platform. For a moment, it looked like the A4 sedan's replacement was going to switch to a Passat architecture, but Audi reconsidered the decision.
Not only does that not sound like a flagship model, but it's also quite confusing. If it's not the Q9, what are they going to call it? Audi doesn't use normal names, so it's not like they can say this is the "Family Rocket 9000" and be done with it. Every number is used, including Q6, which is supposed to belong to an all-electric model.
It's not like having a horizontal engine makes SUVs less premium. And while a 4.0-liter seems out of the question, you can still get decent power out of a turbo V6.