A First For Audi: New Model Is Coming To America Before Global Rollout

The U.S. will be the first market to receive the Q9 when it goes on sale late this year.

2027 Audi Q9 rendering by Motor1.com

Photo by: Motor1.com

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Mar 20, at 6:39am ET

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The Breakdown

The Audi Q9 will be revealed in the second half of the year.
Deliveries are set to kick off before the end of 2026.
The three-row luxury SUV will be joined by the next-generation Q7.

European luxury automakers typically take their time bringing new models to the United States. It can take months, if not years, before a product gets its U.S. visa. However, Audi is about to break with tradition by launching the Q9 in the Land of the Free before a global rollout follows in 2027. It's the first time Ingolstadt rolls out a new model in the U.S. before any other market. The model itself represents a true first for the company, as it has never sold an SUV of this size.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner noted that the “forthcoming full-size SUVs [Q7 and Q9] are very important for our market positioning in the United States.” The duo will be assembled in Bratislava, Slovakia, where the Volkswagen Group also builds the Porsche Cayenne with combustion engines and electric drivetrains. The Q7 and Q9 won’t go the EV route, as both will offer gas engines and plug-in hybrid drivetrains.

The VW Passat and Skoda Superb twins are also built in Slovakia, where VW is about to end production of the Q7’s sister model, the Touareg. Audi hasn’t said whether the Bratislava-made Q8 will live to see another generation, but the current model’s days appear to be numbered regardless.

Photo by: Motor1.com

Döllner broke the news about the Q9 launching first in the U.S. this week while speaking with the media after the company’s annual conference. There was plenty to unpack from the event, as the company also teased the return of the A2 and said the Concept C electric sports car would enter production in 2027.

We’ve also learned about an A8 successor arriving later this decade to replace the aging sedan, which goes out of production this year. In 2026, the Q7 will transition to the next generation, while the smaller Q4 E-Tron electric crossover is set for a mid-cycle refresh.

Audi Q9 Spy Photos

Source: Motor1 Reader

Motor1's Take: Better late than never, Audi is finally going after the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7. Launching the Q9 first in the U.S. is a logical move given the local appetite for large SUVs. Although a global product, Döllner said the luxobarge “has been specifically developed for the U.S. market.” That suggests it will be significantly larger than the Q7, with a far more spacious third row while still ideally offering decent cargo space with all seats in place.

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But wait, there's more. An even fancier version is on the way, as Porsche’s flagship SUV, positioned above the Cayenne, will also be built in Bratislava. As with the Q9, it'll ride on the VW Group’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) and target not just the U.S., but also the Middle East and China. Expect a rich mix of V6 and V8 engines alongside plug-in hybrids.

It remains to be seen whether the Q9 will gain traction in Europe, where buyers are generally less enamored with oversized SUVs than in the U.S. The next-generation Q7 is expected to grow compared to the outgoing model and should satisfy most customer needs.

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