- The new generation of the Audi Q7 and its sportier SQ7 sibling are set to debut this year.
- The redesigned exterior features a split headlight setup with slim LED daytime running lights.
- Underpinned by the new Premium Platform Combustion, it will offer versatile powertrain options.
Next week, it will be exactly 10 years since the second-generation Audi Q7 was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. That’s an eternity in the automotive world, but thankfully, Audi is working on a third-gen model, and it promises to be a big step up from the outgoing SUV. What can we expect to see with the new Audi Q7, tipped to be unveiled later this year, possibly as as a 2026 model?
New spy shots reveal that the exterior styling of the new Q7 will be vastly different, while still remaining easily recognizable as an Audi. Like so many other models on the market, the 2026 Q7 has a split headlight design. Positioned just below the hood are slim LED daytime running lights while sitting below them are the main headlamps.
Read: 2026 Audi Q7 And SQ7 Show Their Differences In New Spy Photos
A huge blacked-out grille immediately catches the eye and has a particularly garish mesh design that’ll no doubt turn heads on the road but may split opinions among buyers. A lower section of the fascia includes a smaller secondary grille and two smaller air intakes. Compared to the current Q7, this new front end makes the SUV seem a little more friendly and brings it in line with other more recent Audi models.
Our spy photographers snapped this prototype of the 2026 Q7 out and about during the day and at night in the cold wintery conditions of north Europe. The photos at night are particularly revealing as they provide us with an excellent look at the rear end and its the trick LED taillights.
The shape of the taillights somewhat reminds us of those of the previous-generation Hyundai Santa Fe, although these ones feature more intricate LED signatures, and there’s a thin light bar connecting them. You’ll notice the third brake light sits above the rear window.
Underpinning the next Audi Q7 family will be the new Premium Platform Combustion architecture, which will be available with several different powertrains. We believe one of them could be an uprated hybridized 3.0-liter TFSI V6 with 362 hp and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. Last year, we also spotted the new Audi SQ7 being put through its paces. It could have an updated version of the current model’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8.
