After launching more than 20 new and refreshed models in 2024 and 2025, Audi has significantly rejuvenated its lineup, but it doesn’t plan to stop there.
The luxury car manufacturer aims to continue its model onslaught in 2026 and bring to market several new models. Those include the first-ever Audi Q9 flagship SUV, the A2 e-tron compact electric car, the third generation of the Audi Q7, the facelifted Q4 e-tron compact electric SUV, and the new Audi RS 5 high-performance model, which has already been unveiled.
Audi’s First-Ever Vehicle to Have the U.S. as Its Launch Market
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The Audi Q9 plays a special role in Audi’s strategy not only because it will be its flagship model—likely acting as an indirect replacement for the A8 luxury sedan which has no successor in sight—but also because it will be the brand’s first-ever vehicle to launch in an overseas market first and not in Germany or Europe (excluding China-exclusive Audi vehicles, that is).
The Audi Q9 will make its world debut in the United States, CEO Gernot Döllner told Automotive News, making it Ingolstadt’s first-ever model to launch in the U.S. before the rest of the world. This speaks volumes about how important the U.S. is for the Q9, although it shouldn’t come as a big surprise as we’re talking about the world’s top market for full-size luxury SUVs.
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Set to go head to head with models like the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7, but also body-on-frame models like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator and Lexus LX, the Audi Q9 is “specially tailored to the needs of customers in the world’s second-largest automotive market,” the automaker noted at its annual media conference on March 17.
Together with the next-generation Q7 and the new Q3 models that will also launch stateside in 2026, the Q9 will help make Audi’s premium SUV lineup the youngest in the US market, the company said. “The new Audi Q9 strengthens our position in the US and defines the top of our portfolio,” Audi’s head honcho said at the conference.
Despite being designed for American buyers, the Audi Q9 will not be built in the U.S.; the full-size luxury SUV will be assembled at VW Group’s plant in Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside Porsche’s upcoming K1 flagship SUV. That makes economic sense as both models share a stretched variant of the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture. The plant in Central Europe will also build the next-gen Q7.
What We Know So Far About Audi’s Largest SUV Ever
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The Audi Q9 is expected to offer turbocharged V6 gas engines with mild-hybrid tech and potential plug-in hybrid options. V8 engines will likely be offered in the SQ9 performance model and Horch-badged range-topper, which will compete with the Mercedes-Maybach GLS.
Long requested by Audi’s U.S. dealers, the Q9 will offer three rows of seats as standard, with options for six or seven seats in a roomy cabin, and a cavernous trunk. As you can imagine, it will also get the brand’s latest tech and safety features, including the latest Audi MMI infotainment system with customizable digital displays and a full suite of ADAS features.
Special attention will be given to the comfort and entertainment of rear-seat passengers, especially in the six-seat version that’s expected to be the most opulent with second-row captain’s chairs and the best interior materials available.
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Styling-wise, the Audi Q9 is expected to use similar traits as the latest Q3 and Q5 SUVs, obviously with different proportions due to the much longer and wider body. No official photos have been released yet, but judging by the spy shots we’ve seen so far, the Q9 appears to feature split LED headlights, a broad grille, muscular shoulders, and flush-mounted door handles.
The Q9 will be unveiled in the second half of this year, with U.S. deliveries to start before year-end. The rest of the world should get it in 2027.
