Audi's new SUV will be the A8's temporary replacement as flagship

The upcoming Audi Q9 extra-large SUV is set to become the German brand’s flagship model, at least until the end of the decade.

Audi closed its order books for the A8 in Germany in February, and although the model remains available in the US and China, the writing is on the wall for the brand’s largest sedan. Australian sales of the fourth-generation A8 ended in 2025.

“The Audi Q9 will be the new flagship of the Audi portfolio,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Autocar. “This is a particularly important model for the US.” It is also expected to be a key model in China and the Middle East.

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If all goes according to plan, the Q9’s reign atop the Audi range will only last a few years, with Audi spokesperson Marcel Bestle telling Motor1: “The decision on an A8 successor has been taken and we intend to present it towards the end of this decade. We are going to communicate further details in due course.”

Few concrete details about the all-new Q9 have been announced, but we understand it will be based on the Platform Premium Combustion (PPC) architecture, which is currently used by the Audi A5, Q5, and A6, and is an evolution of the earlier MLB platform with improved support for longer range plug-in hybrids.

The Q9 is thought to be closely related to the upcoming three-row Porsche SUV codenamed ‘K1’. This larger-than-Cayenne SUV was initially being developed as a pure-electric model, but slowing demand for EVs, especially in the US, forced Porsche to change tack.

Our spy photography agency last snapped the Q9 during winter testing at the beginning of 2025. Like recent Audi designs, that Q9 prototype had soft surfacing and a split headlight treatment.

We don’t know if the company is planning to adapt the narrow single-frame grille from the Audi Concept C in time for the Q9’s launch, or if it will be added to the car during its mid-life facelift.

As for the A8’s successor, we know even less.

The Grandsphere concept revealed in 2021 was said to preview an all-electric successor to the A8, but for various reasons including slower-than-expected EV sales growth, especially at the top end of the market, this project seems to have to hit the buffers.

Based on the Platform Premium Electric (PPE) architecture, the Grandsphere concept had a 530kW/960Nm dual-motor drivetrain fed by a 120kWh battery pack good for a WLTP range of over 750km.

Measuring 5.35 metres long, but just 1.39m tall, the Grandsphere seemed to indicate Audi was keen for the A8 successor to become a limousine-coupe fusion, much like earlier iterations of the Jaguar XJ and the 1990s Mazda 929.

With the A8 set to head out the door, and the Lexus LS already gone, the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class appear to have the limo market to themselves for at least a few years.

MORE: Explore the Audi A8 showroom