Audi Q9 Details Released Ahead Of Audi's Release Of First Luxury Three-Row SUV

Audi unveiled its first-ever full-size SUV Tuesday, the Q9, a three-row flagship starting at $89,095 with a 429-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 and all-wheel drive, arriving at US dealers in the fourth quarter of 2026.

A performance-oriented SQ9 variant starts at $119,395 with a 591-horsepower V8 that does zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds.

Both models seat six or seven passengers, ride on a 123.5-inch wheelbase longer than a Chevrolet Tahoe and stretch 209 inches in overall length, making them Audi's largest production vehicles ever.

They were built primarily with American buyers in mind, according to Audi of America senior VP Filip Brabec, who noted the Q9 fills a gap the brand has never addressed, a true full-size luxury SUV competitor to the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.

The timing is pointed. Audi's US sales fell 16 percent in 2025 and another 17 percent in the first half of 2026, hurt by tariffs, Audi imports every vehicle it sells in the US, unlike BMW and Mercedes which manufacture some models domestically, and the collapse of federal EV incentives that left its electric portfolio exposed.

The Q9 is a combustion answer to a market that is buying big gas-powered luxury SUVs in large numbers. The A8 sedan, Audi's traditional flagship, is currently on hiatus. For now, the Q9 is the most expensive and most ambitious Audi you can buy.