Next year will bring two major Audi SUV debuts with big power, fresh design, and long-awaited answers to long-standing segment rivals

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This year has been a very busy one for Audi with the launch of new models like the A5, A6, Q5, and others, plus a slew of facelifted models. Next year will also be an important one for the German brand, following confirmation of the all-new Q7 and Audi will finally unveil the long-awaited Q9, its answer to the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.

Read: Audi’s Flagship SQ9 Is Coming For The BMW X7 And Mercedes GLS

While we’ve been waiting quite a while for the Q9 to launch, it’s the new Q7 that could prove to be Audi’s most important model next year. Audi has been building the current second-generation since 2015, and while the company has tried to keep it fresh with two facelifts, it’s in desperate need of a replacement.

New Foundations

Underpinning the new Q7 will be Audi’s Premium Platform Combustion architecture. It’ll be built at the same site in Slovakia as the outgoing model. Powertrain details aren’t yet known, but the PPC platform does support ICEs, mild-hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and range-extenders.

The Q9 will also be a big model for Audi, both in stature and in importance. For years, Audi has not had a flagship SUV to rival its two biggest competitors. Like the Q7, the larger Q9 will use the same PPC architecture, and we’ve already spied it testing on several occasions. Audi’s head of development, Geoffrey Bouqout, confirmed to Automobilwoche that the new Q7 and Q9 will launch next year, although he didn’t specify when.

Industry reports suggest software issues linked to the PPC platform have slowed down the rollout of both SUVs.

Spy shots have revealed that the Q9 will sit taller than the current Q7 and will also feature many of the same new design details found across other new Audi models. This will include split headlights as well as a large front grille with honeycomb-shaped details. The taillights will be LED units similar to those of the new A6.

As with the Q7, powertrain details for the Q9 haven’t been confirmed, but we can expect the sportier SQ9 to use the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 as the outgoing Q7, delivering roughly 500 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque. There’s a possibility a flagship RS Q9 could also be launched with the same engine as the RS Q8, delivering 631 hp and 627 lb-ft.

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