Audi has registered the name Q9: a new luxury SUV is on the way to finish off the game

Audi is considered one of the pioneering brands of the SUV segment, which it quickly backed with the Audi Q7. Over time, we have witnessed the brand of the four rings expand its range with more models bearing the Q name. Later came the Audi Q8, a coupé SUV set to rival the BMW X6 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé, but both brands kept climbing the ranks with the X7 and the GLS. The response from Audi? The future Audi Q9.

And the fact is that the German brand has been caught registering the name Q9, a designation which, as it carries no e-tron tag anywhere, we can assume will be combustion-powered. At the same time, everything suggests that Audi is working on an SUV above the Q7 and the Q8, ready to take on the aforementioned BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, two of its main rivals.

It is true that this type of vehicle tends to find more room in markets such as the United States, where its wide roads and more affordable petrol prices make it appealing to buy this kind of flagship in SUV form. However, this will not prevent Audi from selling the Audi Q9 in Europe, a continent where it has a lot to say and where it will offer a distinctive fight to its competitors.

For now, no test mules have been spotted and the brand has not released any teaser or statement on the matter. Even so, this does not stop us from anticipating various details about this upcoming Audi Q9, which will be longer than the Audi Q7, will feature more rectangular shapes, and will take the opportunity to introduce a new design language and, of course, a generous arsenal of technology.

As for engines, we can expect a very varied range. That is, there will be petrol and diesel versions with a mild-hybrid system, plug-in hybrids and, surely, also an SQ9 variant set to compete with the most powerful versions of both the GLS and the X7, likely with a V6 diesel engine capable of delivering close to 500 CV. In other markets, an Audi SQ9 with a petrol V8 engine could be sold.

Everything points to the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 as the time when the brand of the four rings will present this long-awaited product. In this way, Audi completes its SUV family, which can only keep evolving thanks to this substantial lineup it currently offers.