3rd Gen Audi Q7 Debuts With 600 PS And Camera-Based ADAS, India Launch Likely
Audi has pulled the covers off the third-generation Q7, a mid-size luxury SUV that slots below the upcoming Q9 and squares up to the Mercedes-Benz GLE, BMW X5 and Volvo XC90. It brings V6 and V8 petrol options, up to 600 PS, a 3-metre wheelbase and the Q9's flagship cabin tech.
What was announced
The third-generation Audi Q7 has debuted globally, positioned below the recently teased Q9 in Audi's SUV ladder. It rides on a 3-metre wheelbase, brings a complete design overhaul in line with Audi's new SUV face, and inherits flagship interior elements from the Q9. Flexible seating layouts continue, keeping the Q7's family-hauler brief intact.
Audi has lifted the Q9's cabin into the Q7 and kept the V8 alive, while rivals quietly drop eight cylinders. The sensible flex just got sharper.
The front end gets Audi's new split lighting setup: slim LED DRLs sit on top, with Matrix LED main beams housed in a separate lower cluster. The grille is larger and squarer than the outgoing car's. Audi is also pushing the Q7 as a showcase for its latest cabin tech, autonomous driving features and lighting signatures, which the brand is rolling out across its newer SUVs.
Powertrain options span V6 and V8 petrol engines, with outputs going up to 600 PS in the range-topping SQ7 guise. That puts the new Q7 squarely in the conversation with the Mercedes-Benz GLE 53, BMW X5 M60i and the Volvo XC90 in the mid-size luxury SUV segment. Audi has confirmed cutting-edge driver assistance, but specific autonomy levels and India-spec variants have not been disclosed. An India launch is on the cards given how well the current Q7 sells here, though Audi India has not committed to a timeline or ex-showroom price yet. Expect a CBU route initially, similar to how the current car arrived.
The Car Jury verdict
The Q7 has always been the sensible choice in this trio of GLE, X5 and Q7, and the third generation does nothing to change that. Audi has lifted the cabin straight from the Q9, kept the V8 alive when rivals are quietly dropping eight cylinders, and built in real autonomy hardware. Gagan Choudhary of his eponymous channel puts the social math plainly: arrive anywhere in an Audi and people assume a sensible person has shown up. That perception still sells Q7s in India.
One caveat from Faisal Khan of FasBeam: the new Level 2 ADAS is a camera-based system, not radar-fused, so expect the usual Indian-road quirks. If you currently own a Q7, our existing Q7 review verdict stands at BUY, and the next-gen only strengthens that call once it lands here.
