- Audi shared the first teaser of the third-generation Q7.
- The three-row SUV moves to the new PPC architecture.
- It will be sold alongside a more luxurious Q9 flagship.
Audi can stage a teaser campaign, but it cannot control the internet. The company has confirmed that the third-generation Q7 is nearly here, arriving alongside the new Q9 flagship, even as what look like the first official photos of the SUV have already leaked online.
This Q7 lands almost 21 years after the original and 11 years after the current second-generation car. That one has been on sale since 2015, carrying two facelifts along the way, in 2020 and again in 2024.
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Audi paired the announcement with its first official tease, a tight crop of the front doors. It does not give away much. You get conventional door handles, redesigned mirrors, chrome trim framing the side glass, an S Line badge, and the straight character line that runs through most of the VW Group catalogue. The one genuine reveal is the paint, a new shade called Alopias Blue Metallic.
The teaser and today’s leak are almost beside the point, though. We have already caught prototypes wearing nothing more than a covered-up badge, as the photos below show.
Spy photos of the upcoming Audi SQ7 | SH Proshots
According to Audi, the new Q7 will have “sporty, powerful design, a highly versatile interior, first-class materials, user-centric technologies, and a wide spectrum of driving characteristics, from comfortable to dynamic.”
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The spy shots tell you more than the press copy. Earlier sightings revealed aggressive split LED headlights, a broad honeycomb grille, more sculpted rear shoulders, and an upright tail. Our photographers have also caught the hotter SQ7, distinguished by a sportier body kit and larger wheels.
Inside, the dashboard layout might be shared with the Q9, including a digital instrument cluster, a large infotainment touchscreen, and a passenger display. However, the Q7 will likely miss out on more luxurious features like the soft-close doors and the dimmable panoramic roof. As with its predecessors, the SUV will be offered with a three-row seven-seater layout.
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The new Q7 will finally move away from the MLB chassis, adopting the much newer PPC architecture that already underpins the A6. The platform is compatible with ICE, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrain options, and is expected to bring improvements in ride quality and refinement over its predecessor.
A global debut has been confirmed for the start of the second half of the year, which is to say now, so the full picture is close. Anyone wanting something plusher can wait for the Q9, the three-row flagship Audi is readying to take on the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS.
