Audi has pulled the covers off the Q9’s cabin ahead of its official debut on 29 July, and the message is pretty clear: this Audi Q9 interior is built to make a big, expensive family hauler feel like a technology showcase. The brand’s future flagship SUV will seat six or seven people, ride on the PPC platform, and go on sale in 2027.
Audi sums it up with two words: ”elegance and space.” That sounds like corporate brochure poetry, but the hardware is real enough. The Q9 joins a crowded field where BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus all keep stretching luxury SUVs into ever-larger lounges on wheels, and Audi clearly does not want to be the brand that arrives with fewer screens and less theatre.
Three screens, a head-up display and no gear lever
The dashboard is dominated by three screens, a layout already seen on the Audi A6 and Q6L e-tron. There is also a head-up display, while the familiar transmission lever has been replaced by a steering-column selector. In other words, Audi is leaning hard into the ”everything digital, nothing to grab” school of interior design.
Audi Q9 interior comfort and powered doors
Materials include wool, microfiber, leatherette and Nappa leather, and the ambient lighting can interact with the Bang & Olufsen audio system. The front seats also get built-in vibration modules for a 4D sound effect, which is exactly the kind of feature premium buyers will either love or laugh at before quietly ticking the box anyway.
More practical than gimmicky: all doors come with electric drives as standard, so they can be opened and closed from the key, a smartphone, or the infotainment system. In the six-seat version, the second row gets heated and ventilated seats, while the third row folds away electrically. That’s the kind of packaging advantage large SUVs sell on, especially in markets where rear-seat comfort is now as important as horsepower.
Engines and versions planned for the Q9 lineup
Under the skin, the Q9 is expected to use V6 and V8 engines, both paired with an 8-speed automatic, plus a plug-in hybrid system. Audi is also preparing an SQ9 performance version and a Horch Edition at the top of the range. That fits the old luxury SUV playbook: one platform, then as many trims as there are ways to charge extra.
The optional panoramic roof is said to measure about 1.5 square meters and be divided into nine independent zones. The open question is whether the Q9 will feel like a properly distinct flagship, or simply a taller, pricier answer to the Q7 with more screens and more ways to impress passengers at a standstill.