[AUTOHOME New Car Illustration] As the largest SUV in the history of the Audi brand, the all-new Audi Q9 adopts the "9" series naming for the first time, officially reaching the top of the brand's product matrix. Positioned as a large full-size luxury SUV, the new model integrates spacious space, flagship-level materials and the "renowned" lighting technology, reinterpreting the brand's definition of luxury. It will open for pre-order in Germany at the end of July 2026, is scheduled to officially start delivery in November 2026, and is expected to be introduced to the Chinese market in 2027.
5.31-meter Flagship, World's First Mass-produced Model Equipped with 3rd-Generation Curved Digital OLED Taillights
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
The length, width and height of the all-new Audi Q9 reach 5310/2210/1810mm, with a wheelbase of 3140mm, making it the largest mass-produced model in Audi's history. The upright front fascia design endows the whole vehicle with a solemn and majestic aura. The iconic integrated grille and headlights are integrated into a seamless black mask, and the grille extends downward to the lower part of the front bumper, enhancing the vertical visual height.
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
The styling of the front bumper is relatively simple. The new car can be optionally equipped with an illuminated grille with LED light sources to further improve nighttime recognition. The side profile continues Audi's classic shoulder line design, with a waistline running through the front and rear, matched with long wheelbase, large-size rear doors and extended rear overhang to highlight visual impact.
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
The rear design inherits the design language of new-generation Audi products. The tailgate profile is relatively clean, and the overall downward shift of the license plate frame also provides a flatter space. The taillight is the core technical highlight of the exterior. Audi Q9 is equipped with the world's first mass-produced curved digital OLED taillight, which adopts ultra-thin glass technology to realize 3D curved shape. The glass substrate is only 0.1mm thick, which can perfectly fit the side profile of the body and greatly improve the side viewing angle. The whole taillight set consists of 6 OLED panels, among which the outer curved panel is the largest taillight panel in Audi's history, with 99 luminous zones per single panel, adding up to a total of 512 luminous zones for the whole vehicle.
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
This set of taillights supports the "partial dynamic lighting" light effect signature for the first time, no longer limited to static and dynamic modes, upgrading both lighting recognition and sense of design simultaneously. Apart from this iconic taillight, as a member of the famous "light factory", Audi Q9 is also equipped with advanced ground turn signals. When turning or changing lanes at night, it synchronizes with the front and rear dynamic turn signals and projects stylized turning light effects on the ground. The external communication light will display exclusive warning light effects and triangular hazard signs on the taillights to remind following vehicles in case of accidents or malfunctions. The digital matrix LED headlights perform better in high-beam illumination distance, accuracy and contrast, and can realize deep linkage with the driving assistance system.
Audi Q9
Audi Q9
As for appearance, Audi Q9 offers two style kits: the standard version adopts vertical slat grille to highlight elegance and luxury. The S line kit version adopts slat-free open grille, with more prominent front bumper and rear spoiler to enhance sporty attributes. Depending on different configurations, 20-23 inch wheels in various styles are available. Tires matched with 22 and 23-inch wheels are equipped with in-tire sound-absorbing foam, which can effectively reduce tire noise.
Cockpit Upgrade, What About the Materials?
The Audi Q9 cockpit is equipped with a curved connected screen composed of a 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit instrument plus a 14.5-inch MMI touch screen. The co-pilot is standardly equipped with a 12.3-inch co-pilot display, which also has a dynamic anti-peep mode. For interior materials, multiple fabrics such as alpaca wool, microfiber, leather/imitation leather stitching and Nappa leather are available. New color options including tamarind brown, natural beige and stone beige are added. Meanwhile, the interior is integrated with decorative trims such as ash wood, lime texture panels and basalt gray carbon fiber woven panels. Exclusive customized kits will also be provided for consumers in the future to meet personalized needs. The trunk is equipped with aluminum guide rails, with integrated slide rails on the side, matched with sliding hooks and adjustable anchor points to fix loaded goods.
In addition, the new car is equipped with a B&O 4D sound system, which can be deeply linked with the in-car interactive lighting. The whole sound system includes 22 speakers, covering 3D high and low bass units, subwoofer, center speaker, and 2 speakers in each of the driver and co-pilot headrests, with a total system power of 1360W. In terms of interior ambient light, Audi Q9 is also equipped with an ambient light package, including dynamic interactive light strips and other functions. The headrests of high-end sport seats also have exclusive light pattern signatures, which can be recognized from outside the car, and the headrests also integrate active noise reduction technology.
7 Seats Standard / 6 Seats Optional for the Interior
The interior of Audi Q9 continues the new-generation Audi design language. The instrument panel and door interior panels are seamlessly connected, with clean and neat lines. The air conditioning vents adopt a hidden design, and electric dynamic adjustment is realized through the car infotainment interface.
The new car is standardly equipped with a 7-seat layout, and all seats of the whole series support electric adjustment. The second row is split in 35/30/35 ratio, and all three seats are equipped with ISOFIX child safety seat interfaces. In addition, the second row seats support front and rear electric adjustment, and the backrest supports 6/4 ratio folding. When entering the third row, the outer seats of the second row can be electrically moved forward and tilted forward, allowing passengers to enter without removing the installed child seats. Besides, the backrest of the third row seats of Audi Q9 supports one-button independent folding, the second and third row seats can be folded in sequence, and the folding operation can also be controlled by one button in the trunk area.
For the optional 6-seat layout, the second row is two independent electrically adjustable seats, all of which support partial electric adjustment, and heating function is optional. The front row is standardly equipped with sport seats, ventilation is optional, and the high-end Sport Seat Plus version supports three functions: heating, ventilation and massage.
Automatic Doors + Flagship Panoramic Sunroof
Automatic doors are equipped on mass-produced Audi models for the first time. The doors support large-angle opening, can be controlled by multiple buttons in the car, and also support remote operation via mobile phone App. In addition, Audi Q9 is also standardly equipped with soft-close doors. The panoramic sunroof is standard for the whole series, which is also the largest panoramic sunroof in Audi's history, with a glass area of more than 1.5 square meters, supporting two opening modes: full opening and tilting, with stepless opening adjustment. In addition, the sunroof is added with infrared coating, which can block more than 99.5% of ultraviolet rays. The glass is divided into 9 independent control zones, which can be freely switched between transparent lighting and anti-glare. The high-end version of the sunroof also supports luminous ambient light function, with 84 built-in LED beads, providing 30 colors, which is synchronized with the in-car ambient light.
V6 Diesel + Mild Hybrid, Standard Air Suspension and quattro Four-Wheel Drive
At the initial launch stage of overseas markets, Audi Q9 provides a 3.0T V6 diesel power system in the German market, with a maximum power of 220kW (299 horsepower) and a peak torque of 630N·m. In addition, the European market also provides a low-power version, with a maximum power of 180kW (245 horsepower) and a peak torque of 500N·m. Both power systems are equipped with MHEV Plus mild hybrid system, and the generator can provide additional power of up to 18kW (24 horsepower). The engine is also equipped with an electric compressor (peak power 7.5kW, continuous power 3.5kW) and two-stage turbocharging, which can build up a maximum boost pressure of 3.6bar within 1.2 seconds.
Matched with the power system is an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox and quattro full-time four-wheel drive system. In terms of chassis, the new car is standardly equipped with adaptive air suspension, supporting continuous variable damping and body height adjustment, with a total suspension adjustment stroke of 90mm, and the body can be lowered by 62mm from standard mode to the comfortable entry/exit height. The new car can be optionally equipped with a sports version adaptive air suspension, with more accurate damping control. The all-wheel steering system is also an optional configuration, with a maximum rear wheel steering angle of 5 degrees.
In terms of assisted driving functions and safety configurations, Audi Q9 is equipped with automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, 360° panoramic image, automatic parking, lane change assist projection warning, road icing warning, construction section assistance and other functions. In addition, the new car has added the "drive to emergency lane" function. When the system detects that the driver loses operation ability, the system will take over the vehicle, control the vehicle through lane keeping and gradual deceleration, turn on the hazard lights, and trigger seat belt and brake warnings.
Summary
Audi Q9
As the brand-new flagship SUV of Audi, Q9 fills the product gap of the brand in the full-size luxury SUV market, and its natural competitors are BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. With Audi's spacious space, luxury materials and lighting technology, do you think it is innovative enough? Can it compete with its rivals?
Audi SQ9
Audi SQ9
The all-new Audi Q9 will be produced at the Bratislava plant in Slovakia in the future. It will open for pre-order in Germany at the end of July 2026, and official delivery will start in November. The starting price of the entry-level version in the German market is 108,400 euros, equivalent to about 836,035 yuan. What will the price be when it enters the Chinese market in the future? (Text/Photo: Zhou Yuxuan, AUTOHOME )