The Audi Q7 is a full-size luxury SUV made by the German manufacturer Audi, unveiled in September 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of this 7-seater SUV began in the autumn of 2005 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia.It was the first SUV offering from Audi and went on sale in 2006. Later, Audi’s second SUV, the Q5, was unveiled as a 2009 model. Audi has since unveiled a third SUV model, the Q3, which went on sale in the 3rd quarter of 2011. The Q7 shares a Volkswagen Group MLB platform and chassis with the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg
The Q7 (internally designated Typ 4L) utilizes a modified version of the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform. Previewed by the Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept car, the Q7 is designed more for on-road use, and was not meant for serious off-road use where a transfer case is needed. In an off-road test through the Australian outback it fared well for a “soft roader”.
Although it lacks a low-range transfer case, it has quattro permanent four-wheel drive system with a central locking differential, and a self-levelling air suspension with Continuous Damping Control, called Adaptive air suspension, which helps in off-road situations.
Development began in 2002 under the code AU 716, primarily focused on the Pikes Peak Concept. Design work was frozen for the Concept in July 2002, for presentation at the North American International Auto Show in January 2003. Following the introduction of the concept, full-scale development began on Typ 4L of the PL71 platform.
The production design was frozen in late 2003, for a late 2005 start of production. Prototypes went into testing in 2004, with development concluding in the first half of 2005. It introduced the world’s only series production passenger car V12 TDI diesel engine. While the Q7 has been the flagship SUV in Audi’s product portfolio, a top-of-the-line coupé model, called the Audi Q8, was released for sale in 2018. It debuted in its concept form at the 2017 Detroit auto show.
Despite its multiple airbags and safety electronics, such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), the Q7 scored only four stars out of five in the Euro NCAP crash test for adult occupant protection.[10] According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, and has since been fixed in cars manufactured after the test which should allegedly lead to five stars. Official tests to prove this remain to be done as of March 2009.
However, in the United States, the Q7 received five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) safety test for both front and side impacts.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Q7 its Top Safety Pick 2009, with Good ratings in all 14 measured categories of the front and side impact test.
