Audi has revealed the huge Q9 SUV as an indirect replacement for its A8 luxury saloon flagship – and its long-awaited rival to the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS.
Described by the brand as “unapologetically high-status”, it has been developed primarily for the North American and Middle Eastern markets – hence its mammoth proportions.
It measures 5.3m long, 2.2m wide and 1.8m tall, making it bigger than both of its German rivals and one of the largest cars to be sold in the UK – where it will struggle to fit through many urban width restrictors.
The Q9 will be offered with a choice of two interiors: a standard seven-seat configuration and a six-seat set-up that has two individual chairs in the second row.
The Q9’s doors open and close automatically as you approach the car. They can also be controlled through the interior screen or via the Audi app and contain sensors to prevent them from opening into the path of a passing vehicle or cyclist.
Up front, the Q9 has a three-screen dashboard familiar from the A6 and Q7, with an 11.9in instrument panel, a 14.5in curved infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3in passenger’s touchscreen.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the digital-heavy interior exemplifies a new approach to Audi’s ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ethos and its cars will “increasingly be defined by the in-car experience”. He added that the Q9 shows “where we are taking the Audi brand” as it moves further upmarket.
But it also brings low-tech solutions to appeal to its target markets: the cupholders have been designed to fit a one-litre water bottle, as has become the trend in the US.
