The Audi Q9 is Audi’s first large full-size SUV, revealed July 29, 2026. It’s also the first time Audi has ever put the number 9 on a production car, a nameplate the brand has never used before now. Most coverage will lead with the size, the horsepower, or the new SQ9’s V8. But the detail buried deepest in Audi’s own press kit is a turn signal: at night, the Q9 projects a stylized arrow onto the pavement next to the car every time you signal a turn or change lanes.
Here’s everything confirmed so far, answered directly.
What Is the Audi Q9?
The Q9 is Audi’s answer to a gap it’s had in the US for years: buyers who wanted more space and presence than the Q7 or Q8 offer, and who’ve been going to the Escalade, the GLS, or the Range Rover instead. Audi built it specifically to close that gap. Vito Paladino, President of Audi of America, says the Q9 is “establishing a new standard in the premium SUV segment.” It now sits above the Q7 and Q8 as the new flagship of Audi’s SUV lineup, and completes the portfolio alongside the Q3, Q5, and Q7.
How Big Is the Audi Q9?
It’s the largest Audi ever built. The Q9 measures about 209 inches long, 87 inches wide mirror to mirror, and just under 6 feet tall, on a wheelbase of about 124 inches. That puts it in Escalade and GLS territory, not in compact-SUV territory like the Q5 or Q7.
How Many Seats and What’s Inside the Audi Q9?
Seven seats come standard. Buyers can also choose a six-seat layout with two electrically adjustable individual seats in the second row for a business-class feel, plus a third row that folds down one seatback at a time at the push of a button. Front seats add ventilation and massage. Five-zone automatic climate control and automatic doors, openable remotely through the myAudi app, round out the cabin, a first for Audi. Every Q9 also gets the largest panoramic sunroof Audi has ever installed, over 1.5 square meters of glass that opens wide or tilts, with an optional illuminated version whose color can match the cabin’s ambient lighting.
What Engine Options Does the Audi Q9 Have?
In Germany, the Q9 launches with a 220-kilowatt (295 hp) V6 diesel producing 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque, with a 180-kilowatt (241 hp) version also available in some markets. US buyers get something different: a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 gasoline engine instead of the diesel. Every version comes standard with quattro all-wheel drive. For more performance, the SQ9 lands in select markets including the US and Canada with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, rear-biased quattro with a controlled rear differential lock, and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 4.0 seconds. Both the Q9 and SQ9 get adaptive air suspension and rear-axle steering standard, and both can tow up to about 7,700 lbs.
Does the Audi Q9 Drive Itself?
Not fully, but it gets close on the highway. Adaptive cruise assist plus lets drivers take their hands off the wheel at speeds up to 130 km/h (85 mph) on approved highway and autobahn segments in the US, Canada, and Germany at launch. The system handles steering, acceleration, and braking, but it’s a Level 2 system, meaning the driver has to stay engaged and ready to take over, not full self-driving.
What Makes the Audi Q9’s Lighting a World First?
The rear end carries new curved digital OLED panels built into the body, a world first for the brand, with the outer panel the largest single OLED unit Audi has ever fitted to a car. Up front, Digital Matrix LED headlights with a micro-LED module handle range and precision. The standout, though, is the turn signal: when changing lanes or turning at night, the Q9 projects a stylized signal onto the road surface itself, timed with the dynamic signals front and rear, so other drivers see the intent before they see the car move.
Where Is the Audi Q9 Built and When Can You Order One?
The Q9 is built at Audi’s Q7 plant in Bratislava, Slovakia, the same factory that’s produced the Q7 since 2005 and the Q8 since 2018, now with over two million square meters and two decades of large-SUV experience behind it. Orders open at the end of July 2026, with deliveries starting in November. Audi hasn’t announced US pricing yet. In Germany, the base Q9 TDI starts at €108,400. Expect the US starting price to land north of $100,000 once it’s confirmed, in line with where the Escalade, GLS, and Range Rover already sit.
How Does the Audi Q9 Compare to the Mercedes GLS and Range Rover?
On paper, the Q9 is chasing the same buyer as the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 680 and Range Rover’s flagship trims: someone who wants three rows, real presence, and a cabin that feels like business class. What Audi’s betting on instead of matching horsepower for horsepower is the same thing that’s worked for its European rivals: give the buyer a detail nobody else has. Mercedes has its hand-stitched Maybach roof liner. Range Rover has its British Summertime Collection. Audi’s answer is a turn signal that talks to the pavement.
That’s a small thing to hang an entire new nameplate on. But putting the number 9 on a production car for the first time in Audi’s history isn’t a small decision. It’s Audi telling its biggest market that it’s finally building the SUV American buyers asked for, instead of hoping they’d adjust to the ones Audi already made.
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