Audi is in a pickle right now. Sales for the German Volkswagen subsidiary tanked by 16 percent in America last year due to a variety of factors, and the company doesn’t exactly have a stellar lineup right now that can compete with the rest of the luxury segment. With all of its production overseas, it’s also facing increased pressure from new tariffs implemented by the Trump administration.
In an effort to stop the bleeding in the U.S., the company revealed plans today to introduce a long-rumored model to its lineup: the Q9. Sitting above the Q7 and Q8 in size, the Q9 will be Audi’s first full-size SUV, meant to compete against luxury full-sizers like the Mercedes GLS, BMW X7, and Cadillac Escalade.
The Q9 would be the eighth SUV in Audi’s global lineup, with Qs 2 through 8 already taken (about a decade ago, there was a rumor the company might build a Q1 to complete the series, but it never materialized). But will it be enough to get people to fall back in love with the brand? Or is it too little, too late?
How Did Audi Get Here?
Last year was a year to forget for Audi. It was hit with a double whammy of policy changes that punched a hole through its EV-centric product plans. Unlike Mercedes and BMW, Audi has no local production facilities in the U.S., which meant that tariffs ripped through the company’s bottom line at a rate higher than its competitors. Then, in September, the $7,500 federal tax credit was dissolved, slicing demand for cars like the A6 Sportback e-tron and Q6 e-tron, which were just starting to hit dealerships. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
These pain points affected sales most seriously in the fourth quarter, when Audi reported a drop in deliveries of 36 percent. Things were nearly as bad in the first quarter of 2026, with sales falling 30 percent year over year. A strong gas-powered lineup might’ve made up for some of those disappearing EV sales, but as Thomas pointed out back in January, Audi’s latest combustion-powered car, the A5/S5, isn’t as good as it used to be. Meanwhile, the bigger cars in its lineup are just old as hell. From his article:
[M]uch of the lineup is getting a bit aged. The current A7 and A8 are around eight years old, the current Q7 is a decade old, and the Q8 is seven years old. While the A7 and Q8 have posted five-percent sales gains for the year, all four of these models are down in the fourth quarter.
And it’s not like things are getting any better now that we’re in the second quarter. President Trump recently announced plans to increase tariffs on European-built cars from 15 percent to 25 percent, a move that, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, will cost the brand an additional $519 million. Not great!
The Comeback Plan
Audi says the long-rumored Q9 will arrive this summer, “targeting customers in North America,” according to a press release published today. The company didn’t provide any more details on the car, aside from mentioning a “spacious interior and numerous technological features.” It’s not too hard to imagine what such a vehicle might look like. Perhaps a taller, more squared-off version of the Q7, sized somewhere like a Mercedes GLS to accommodate a roomy third row—just the type of thing American buyers can’t get enough of.
In addition to the Q9, Audi is pushing its new Chinese brand AUDI (with all the letters capitalized), with several new model launches planned to turn around sales in the region, where it lost even more sales in 2025. The company is also going to release a new A2 e-tron for Europe, and an updated Q7 for the global market. In a call with reporters today, the company says it’s cutting 7,500 jobs in Germany as it reduces factory capacity, according to Automotive News.
Whether all of this is enough to turn the brand around has yet to be seen. Absent from any of this news is Audi’s rumored plans to commandeer the new Scout plant in Blythewood, South Carolina, which is currently under construction, to build an SUV of its own and bypass those bothersome tariffs. Right now, those plans are on hold. From Autonews:
To better compete in the U.S., Audi will introduce the Q9 this year, its biggest SUV aimed at winning share from models such as the Mercedes GLS and the Cadillac Escalade. That car will be made in Slovakia and would be affected by higher U.S. duties.
Audi has repeatedly delayed a decision on setting up manufacturing in the U.S., with VW Group CEO Oliver Blume saying the group cannot afford to pay high tariffs and heavily invest in new production capacity at the same time.
Whether the imported Q9 will be able to compete with the locally produced GLS and X7 on features and price is anyone’s guess right now. With the greater VW Group going all in on cost-cutting and consolidation to stay alive, it’s certainly a tall order. Either way, we won’t have to wait long to find out—there are just 46 days until the official start of Summer.
Top graphic image:
The way VW group is going I wouldn’t be surprised if this was basically a rebadged Atlas with a nicer interior and more screens.
Oddly off-putting and aggressive headline to describe a fairly innocuous model introduction.
People have moved castles from Europe to the US. Maybe VW should try doing that with some of their excess German capacity.
In typical Audi (and VW group) fashion, this is a decent idea that should have been released 5+ years ago. I’ve heard rumors about the Q9 for nearly that long.
ROFL
Audi is cooked.
Here’s how I know, there’s not one Audi product in the drop-off line at school here in north Seattle. XC90’s as far as the eye can see, X7s, R1S, Toyota, Tahoe and Suburbans, LRs, MBs, even a Pacifica!
I for one welcome our future angry jellybean overlord.
I can see how Audi got here, logically, saying they want to have something to compete against the X7 / GLE.
Maybe it’ll show up in neighbourhoods off-lease for people trying to one-up their neighbour’s off-lease Q5/Q7
Clearly people will be interested in the Q9 because it’s two more Q than the Q7.
Can we please have some regulations restricting manufacturers from making more than 4 vehicles over a certain height? This would allow for one compact SUV, one midsized SUV, one full size 3-row crossover or minivan and one full size pickup. That is more than enough.
More places are banning or restricting e-bikes and e-motos for being a “danger” to the public, when SUVs/CUVs/trucks kill thousands of times more people per year. Anything to make sure people are forced to keep spending money. E-bikes are displacing car use by cash-strapped gen Z kids who can’t afford anything more and a chain of industries as well as control-freak Karens in government do not like this at all.
In (southern?) Europe realistically the biggest people go is Q5 / GLC / X3. You do see Q7 / GLE / X5s but they are few and far in between.
A Q9 / GLS / X7 just doesn’t fit.
The US market is way different and the Q9 makes sense here. Most families with 2+ kids opt for an X5/Q7/GCE here unless they go XC90. Even then, those cars are reasonably sized for American roads and parking spaces.
Outside the major cities the US has lots of space. So larger vehicles do well here.