The coming Audi Q9 The extra-large SUV is expected to become the German brand’s flagship at least until the end of the decade.
Audi closed its order books for the A8 in Germany in February, and while the model remains available in the US and China, the writing is on the wall for the brand’s largest sedan. Australian sales of the fourth-generation A8 ended in 2025.
“The Audi Q9 will be the new flagship of the Audi portfolio,” said Audi boss Gernot Döllner Autocar. “This is a particularly important model for the USA.” It is also expected to be a key model in China and the Middle East.
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If all goes according to plan, the Q9’s reign at the top of Audi’s lineup will only last a few years, said Audi spokesman Marcel Bestle Engine1: “The decision has been made for an A8 successor and we want to introduce it this decade. We will communicate further details in due course.”
Few concrete details have been revealed about the all-new Q9, but we expect it will be based on the Platform Premium Combustion (PPC) architecture currently used by the Audi A5, Q5 and A6, which is an evolution of the previous MLB platform with improved support for longer-range plug-in hybrids.
The Q9 is believed to be closely related to the upcoming three-row Porsche SUV, codenamed “K1.” This SUV, which is larger than the Cayenne, was originally developed as an all-electric model, but declining demand for electric vehicles, particularly in the United States, forced Porsche to change course.
Our spy photography agency last photographed the Q9 during winter tests in early 2025. Like recent Audi designs, this Q9 prototype featured a soft surface and split headlight treatment.
We don’t know if the company plans to adapt the Audi Concept C’s narrow single-frame grille in time for the Q9’s launch or if it will be added to the car during its mid-life facelift.
We know even less about the successor to the A8.
Unveiled in 2021, the Grandsphere concept is intended to provide a taste of an all-electric successor to the A8, but for a variety of reasons, including slower-than-expected EV sales growth, particularly at the higher end of the market, this project appears to be reaching its limits.
Based on the Platform Premium Electric (PPE) architecture, the Grandsphere concept featured a 530kW/960Nm dual motor drive powered by a 120kWh battery pack, enabling a WLTP range of over 750km.
At 5.35 meters long but just 1.39 meters high, the Grandsphere seemed to indicate that Audi was keen for the A8 successor to be a fusion of sedan and coupe, similar to previous versions of the Jaguar XJ and Mazda 929 from the 1990s.
With the A8 on the rise and the Lexus LS already gone, the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class appear to have the sedan market to themselves, at least for a few years.
MORE: Discover the Audi A8 showroom
