Audi just revealed the new Q8 and Q2. It rolled out a new Q7 in 2015, and the current Q5 just last year. And it has a new E-Tron EV coming soon. That leaves the Q3 as the oldest crossover in its lineup. But the German automaker is working on that, as these spy shots reveal.
Though we’ve seen prototypes for the new Q3 running around under disguise, this is the first time we’ve seen it in the bear metal. And it looks suitably modern, bearing familiar design cues from its newer and larger stablemates. Note the wider trapezoidal grille, the thin angular headlights, the more sculpted flanks, and the altogether more grown-up silhouette.
Introduced back in 2011, the current Q3 is also one of the oldest models in its class. The Cadillac XT4 and Lexus UX were just revealed, following the Volvo XC40 and Jaguar E-Pace last year. Infiniti introduced the QX30 in 2016, BMW the current X1 in 2015, and even the Mercedes GLA arrived in 2013. It’s an increasingly competitive market segment, and with the introduction of this new model, Audi will be keen to keep it share of the pie – and maybe grow it a bit, too.
Last year, Audi sold just over 20,000 Q3s in the United States, placing it third behind the X1 and GLA – but well ahead of the QX30 and Range Rover Evoque, which itself is starting to show its age and is soon due for replacement (to join the new Land Rover Discovery Sport).
We’ve been expecting Ingolstadt to roll out the new Q3 sometime later this year. Given the preparedness evident in this latest pre-production prototype, we have ever reason to believe that it’s running on schedule – so watch this space.
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