Audi has opened bookings for the facelifted Q7. The updated SUV will be sold in two variants — Premium Plus and Technology — and will be available solely with a petrol engine. The booking amount is set at ₹ 5 lakh.
The SUV is being brought to India via the CKD (completely knocked down) route, with local assembly already underway at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India’s Aurangabad plant since December 10. This will mark a return of the full-size luxury SUV to Audi India’s showrooms, after the model was discontinued in the run up to BS6 emission norms in April 2020.
The facelifted Q7 made its global debut in June 2019. While it carries forward the lean and athletic profile of the second-gen model, launched in India in 2015, it packs in a number of significant upgrades. Up front, it wears a larger, octagonal, single-frame grille, flanked by revised headlamps that get a distinctive daytime running lamp signature. At the rear, the tail-lamps have been updated too, and there is a chrome strip that spans the width of the hatch. Reworked front and rear bumpers and new designs for the alloy wheels round off the fresh look.
However, it is the cabin which feels all new. Multiple screens, gloss black trim on the dashboard and plenty of chrome and brushed aluminium make it feel like a modern day Audi. The updated Q7 gets Audi’s dual MMI system, with a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system positioned higher up and an 8.6-inch touchscreen, for climate control, placed down below in the central console.
The pre-facelift Q7 was pretty well-equipped and came with features such as adaptive Matrix LED headlights, 360-degree camera, automatic parking, 4-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof. Audi can be expected to up the ante with this year’s model.
The outgoing Q7 came with a 249hp, 3.0-litre V6 diesel mill (45 TDI) and a 252hp, 2.0-litre, four cylinder, turbo-petrol engine (40 TFSI). This time around the SUV is expected to come with a 340hp, 3.0-litre V6 turbo-petrol unit (55 TFSI) from the Q8 and A8 L. An 8-speed torque converter automatic gearbox will be standard, as will a Quattro all-wheel drive.
