- A new report says Audi will build a large SUV with an off-roader’s spirit to compete with Land Rover and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- It will use architecture from startup Scout Motors, as Volkswagen owns both brands
Audi has built some legendary vehicles for trails and rough roads. Strangely, they haven’t been SUVs. The German automaker built much of its modern reputation on the rally circuit with sedans and hatchbacks. They used the quattro all-wheel drive (AWD) platform to win some of history’s most demanding off-road races.
It’s about time the company put that know-how into an SUV.
A new report says one is coming.
Industry publication Automotive News reports, “Audi is charting a new course for its U.S. operations, with plans to develop a large SUV tailored for the American market, set to be produced locally.”
The vehicle will ride on the platform developed by sister company Scout. Scout will build it for Audi at the former’s Blythewood, South Carolina, plant beginning in “late 2027.”
Like the Scout Terra truck and Traveler SUV, the model will be an electric vehicle with a range-extending gasoline engine that functions solely as a generator and does not directly drive the wheels.
Earlier this month, Audi revealed plans to build a full-size SUV, likely called the Q9, on a similar timetable. It’s not clear whether this report refers to the same project. AN reports that the model will “rival the Land Rover Defender or Mercedes-Benz G-Class,” two off-road-focused luxury models.
