Audi SQ9 Spotted, The Long Awaited Full Size Luxury Crossover

Audi has never built a true competitor to other luxury three row SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade, BMW X7, Infiniti QX80, and Lexus LX, but that could finally change. Our photographers recently caught Audi testing a full size SUV with a sportier appearance, rumored to be the SQ9 from an upcoming brand new Audi Q9 model range.

Front end styling aligns with recent Audi crossover lighting and grille design seen on the new Q5, Q6 e-tron, and the new upcoming generations of the Q3 and Q7. The pair of dual exhaust tips shown at the rear end point towards this test mule likely being the mid-performance S model.

While the Audi Q8 is the brand’s current flagship SUV, it is not a full size three row, with the Q8 mostly operating as a performance flagship given its shared platform with the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus. The Q7 is the only Audi you can buy with three rows, but its price and size rival other non-full size SUVs like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE.

Hopefully Audi North America will reveal the new Q9 within the next year as a 2026 model year vehicle. It would surely make Audi’s range of Q models more competitive in the U.S. market. View the gallery below to see the SQ9 test mule up close.