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Mystery Audi Q9 Prototype Is Not What Everyone Thinks It Is

Not only autoevolution, but a large number of other online media outlets got a little bit carried away yesterday when announcing that the long-rumored Audi Q9 full-size SUV is finally coming.
2022 Audi Q9 15 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
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That speculation was based on previous data from Audi officials, who have mentioned countless times in recent years that the Q7 might be getting a bigger brother. Such a model would essentially go head-to-head with rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLS or the BMW X7.

The weird-looking prototype caught yesterday in the northern parts of Sweden certainly seemed to fit the bill, with the SUV appearing to sport much bigger dimensions than the Q7.

That said, something about its camouflage was off since that pattern is usually reserved for Volkswagen Group products destined for the Middle Kingdom, such as the A7-based low-roof sedan spotted back in December last year.

New details have emerged about the prototype, though, and if you look closely, you can see that both its proportions, the side windows area, and the roof rails seem to be borrowed straight from the Volkswagen Atlas, also known as the Teramont in China.

As most of you know, the Atlas is Volksagen’s largest car built on the MQB platform. This architecture only allows transverse engines and has an entirely different dash-to-axle ratio compared to other high-end VAG products, which have been traditionally based on the MLB platform in recent years.

Look even closer, and you can see that the taillights are those of the pre-facelift Audi Q7, which is based on the same MLB platform with longitudinal engines as the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, and others.

In other words, the plot thickens because despite this test car sporting some Audi design features underneath the camouflage, it appears to be a revamped VW Atlas, which is about the same size as the current Q7, coincidentally.

So, what are we looking at? It is definitely not an Audi Q9 but could be a mule for an Atlas-based Audi SUV destined for the Chinese market. The world's largest car market has no issue with luxury cars that have transverse engines, apparently, especially since displacements above 3.0-liters are subject to heavy excise taxes.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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