Audi Reportedly Dropping Q7 V12 TDI

We’re in the age of expensive gas prices, so large SUVs really only make sense now when they are fitted with efficient and torquey diesel engines. But the German engineers that created the V12 TDI version of the Q7 must have had one heck of a sense of humor.

However, it seems that Audi wants less lunacy in the SUV’s engine range, as the powertrain is reportedly getting the boot. According to omniauto.it, this move is relatively justified, as the model hasn’t exactly done wonders in the sales department, nor has it boosted the carmaker’s image sufficiently.

But the final nail in the V12 TDI’s coffin was not the lack or sales, the withdrawal of the same TDI engine configuration from the Le Mans Series, or concerns about its reliability, but a brand new V6 TDI that has been tuned up to deliver comparable performance. This twin-turbocharged monster will make its debut under the bonnet of the new A6 (some sources suggest even the S6), and will eventually replace most V8 TDIs.

We’ll remind you that the Q7 V12 TDI offers a meaty 500 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque (737 lb-ft) from a capacity of six liters, giving the the quattro SUV the performance of a sports car. It catapults from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in only 5.5 seconds and has an electronically capped top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Back in 2008 when the model was introduced, the V12 diesel seemed to be opening up entirely new horizons in the diesel sector, with a R8 supercar equipped with the same unit being tested.