FOUR FLUSHER

I'm currently driving a '13 Q5 3.0 and I'm going bigger for my next SUV. I'm starting to keep and eye on the new Q7. Here what I found today.

Audi has confirmed that its current Q7 will soldier on for one more year, meaning the next generation of the popular SUV won’t debut until the 2016 model year. With all of its rivals currently in their second generation or later, the Q7 is long overdue for renewal.

The good news is that the new model is now in the final stages of development and is set for a reveal later this year. Audi was originally due to launch its new Q7 at the end of last year but a late change in its design meant the vehicle’s release date needed to be pushed back.

Another reason for the tardiness is the fact that the new Q7 will be the first Volkswagen Group model to ride on the automaker's next-generation MLB Evo platform, specifically the SUV version of the platform. The platform is an evolution of Audi's existing MLB structure but is lighter thanks to multi-material construction.

The platform will also be capable of adopting alternative drivetrains—the new Q7 has been confirmed to be getting an e-tron plug-in hybrid option—and will eventually underpin the rest of the Volkswagen Group’s large SUV models including the new Bentley SUV, production Lamborghini Urus and third-generation Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg.

Thanks to lightweight materials such as aluminum and even some carbon fiber in the construction of the mostly-steel vehicle, engineers should be able to shed close to 650 pounds compared to the curb weight of the current Q7, which tips the scales at more than 5,300 pounds in its lightest form.

In the engine department, the U.S. market should have access to 3.0- and 4.0-liter TFSI units and a 3.0-liter TDI. As mentioned, a plug-in hybrid option will be available for the first time. In the U.S., this will be a gasoline-electric drivetrain but in other markets Audi may offer an even more frugal diesel-electric setup. We could also see a sporty 'S Q7' launched for the first time. The prototype in the latest photos has a set of quad-exhaust tips, suggesting it's a performance variant.

Look for a debut of the new Q7 at the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October, with the first examples to arrive in showrooms next spring.

iconoclast

4.0t???

MDK993

Thanks for the info. Yes the Q7 is long overdue for an update. I have owned mine from new in 2007 and Im amazed every time I get a brand new loaner car and the interior hasnt changed at all, except for the the technology. Looking forward to seeing the newest version.

K2audi

Per the story it mentions this variant will be the first Q7 to get the new electric turbocharger technology in a TDI. (this makes me happy :-)

Audi SQ7 coming, will have electric turbo - Autoblog

DieselDave

Here it is hammering round the 'ring
Is This Audi SQ7 Testing at the Nurburgring? [Video]

No idea what engine on board, but it sounds awesome.

iconoclast

perhaps the 4.0t is slated for the SQ7? if so that may make me change my plans to purchase a new RRS.

arkbbq

Digital Trends Engine of the Year: Audi's 4.0 TFSI V8 | Digital Trends

FOUR FLUSHER

Here's a post from Autoblog about the new plug in diesel for the new Q7.

With the racing pedigree provided by the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the German king of Le Mans is capitalizing on the connection between its road cars and race cars at every opportunity. Maybe there's an entire range of Le Mans Editions for the automakers diesel-hybrid offerings, with perhaps Tom Kristensen acting as the brand's spokesperson for the technology in Europe. You'd be wrong, though, because despite the R18's overwhelming successes in endurance racing, Audi the road-car manufacturer doesn't offer a single diesel-hybrid production car.

This factoid will hopefully be as short lived as it is disappointing, though, as a diesel-electric is around the corner, according to the brand's tech boss, Ulrich Hackenberg. In fact, it gets better than a mere diesel-hybrid; it will be a plug-in diesel-hybrid, only the second to hit the market, alongside the European-market Volvo V60.

According to Hackenberg, the new tech will be the result of a marriage between the brand's well-received 3.0-liter, TDI V6 with an electric motor. The next-generation Audi Q7 (shown above) will be the initial recipient, confirming previous reports that claimed a PHEV TDI could come to the next-gen CUV. Its MLB architecture, meanwhile, would allow the plug-in-hybrid-diesel powertrain to be fitted easily enough to the A8 luxury sedan. While the new Q7 should hit the market at some point in 2015, it's unclear when the PHEV TDI model could see the light of day.

Still, it's a combination that Hackenberg seems bullish on, and based on his comments, it's a virtual certainty that it'll arrive in some capacity in the US market.

"The hybrid will be another argument to go for diesel in the US," Hackenberg told Automotive News Europe. "We have the combination of low CO2 emissions, necessary to meet market demand and regulations, and we have the diesel which gives a lot torque, which is very necessary for driveability."

"In the USA if you look to sportiness it is very important to be quick away from the traffic lights. In combination with the electric engine, a diesel hybrid delivers very good torque from the start," he added. We'd wholeheartedly agree.

arkbbq

"The follow-up to the Q7 looks a bit like a downsized Kenworth truck which has been treated by a Bavarian make-up artist, according to CAR’s sources.

The next Q7, and sportier, lower-slung Q8, benefit from aluminium technology, which is due to bring the weight down by
up to 350 kilos – despite the length and wheelbase increasing.

We hear there is more than enough brightwork to win any bling contest, the proportions are in-yer-face imposing and the Q7’s cabin is now big enough to simultaneously swing several cats."

Taken from:

Bentley Falcon SUV and Audi Q7, Q8 to get plug-in hybrid | Secret New Cars | Car Magazine Online

-ark

FOUR FLUSHER

That Q8 render is interesting