Audi Q9 SUV debuts as brand targets U.S. luxury buyers

Audi unveiled the Audi Q9 SUV on Tuesday, putting a $89,095 three-row flagship into one of the U.S. luxury market’s most lucrative and contested segments. The launch follows a 17% drop in Audi’s U.S. sales through June compared with the same period in 2025, according to company data cited by CNBC.

The full-size model, along with a performance-oriented SQ9 priced from $119,395, is part of a broader U.S. product push. Audi has already shown a compact Q3 and a midsize Q7 this year, in March and June respectively, as it works to strengthen its position in a market where SUVs dominate premium demand.

Filip Brabec, senior vice president of product management at Audi of America, said at the New York reveal that the Q9 was designed with American buyers in mind. He pointed to the vehicle’s large dimensions, six- and eight-cylinder engines, and details such as large cupholders. Brabec said SUVs account for more than 80% of the premium market.

What is the Audi Q9 SUV?

The Q9 is Audi’s new full-size, three-row luxury SUV and will sit at the top of the brand’s U.S. lineup. At 209 inches long and 86.8 inches wide including its side mirrors, Audi says it is sized to carry adults in the third row and is slightly longer than the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7.

Audi said the standard Q9 uses a 2.9-liter V6 producing 429 horsepower and can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. The SQ9 has a 4.0-liter V8 with 591 horsepower and 590 foot-pounds of torque, with a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds, according to the company.

The model also brings several technology and comfort features. Audi said the Q9 will offer matrix adaptive beam headlights, a ChatGPT-powered voice assistant, a driver assistance system with hands-free capability, power-opening doors, and the largest moonroof the brand has installed in a vehicle.

Matrix adaptive headlights use groups of small LEDs to vary the shape of the light beam. Audi says the system can help reduce glare for oncoming traffic, a feature used in Europe and other markets for years but only recently permitted in the U.S.

Why Audi is pushing harder in the U.S.

Audi’s new SUV arrives after a difficult period in the U.S. The brand’s sales fell 16% in 2025 from the prior year, according to company data cited by CNBC, and declined again in the first half of 2026. The first quarter was weaker, with sales down 30% from the same quarter in 2025.

Audi has attributed the pressure to tariffs and the end of federal electric-vehicle incentives. Analysts cited by CNBC said the new SUVs could help the brand, while also noting that Audi faces a production disadvantage: unlike BMW and Mercedes-Benz, it does not currently build vehicles in the U.S.

Volkswagen Group, Audi’s parent company, operates a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is building a South Carolina factory for the Scout SUV brand. CNBC reported that Audi executives have discussed the possibility of producing some SUVs at the South Carolina site, though Audi currently imports all vehicles it sells in the U.S.

Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars, told CNBC that Audi is seeking more space, higher sticker prices and more profit in response to rivals such as the GLS and X7. Tom Narayan, global autos analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said the product launch is positive, but tariffs are likely to remain a major factor in Audi’s U.S. performance.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.