Next Generation Audi Q7 to be a Fair Chunk Lighter

The current generation Audi Q7 is as you’d expect, a very heavy vehicle, tipping the scales in V8 TDI guise at just under 2,500 kg or 5,510 lbs. However, trying to keep up with more modern rivals, like the new Range Rover that uses an all-aluminum construction to cut weight, it is now known that the all-new model will also be considerably lighter.

Sharing its MLB platform with the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, it is expected to shed some 360 kg (800 lbs), thus boosting performance, handling and efficiency – the two aforementioned vehicles feel very similar on the road, and the new Q7 will probably be no different.

On the design front, it is expected to show a shift in the brand’s design identity, with some styling cues borrowed from the Crosslane Coupe concept.

We anticipate to see the new Audi Q7 revealed some time in 2015. One last noteworthy addition is the planned hybrid system, which it will probably share with the Touareg and Cayenne. In the latter, it is sold as a more frugal alternative to the V8, with similar performance, and it may very well play the same role in the Audi SUV, as well. Furthermore, it is part of a grander general scheme for SUVs that the automaker is setting in motion.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: Autonews
Note: Next generation Audi Q7 test mule shown in pictures

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