Audi is reportedly considering an off-road SUV to rival the G-Class and Defender, slotting above the road-focused Q7 and Q9.
Family Cars
Audi could introduce its first-ever off-road luxury SUV to rival the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender.
In 2023, Lichte said, "there is potential" for an Audi luxury off-road SUV as there are only two models in the segment: the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Land Rover Defender.
"I think there is a space for a third one," Lichte added.
While a G-Class and Defender-rivalling model is likely to sell less than the road-focused Audi Q7, and the upcoming Audi Q9, Döllner said "there is no niche banner".
"It’s just the opposite," he said. "It works perfectly to have a more focused line-up in the core, and in addition to that have some niche models to build the brand and to also transfer new ideas from a niche segment into the core products."
"That works perfectly and this is part of our strategy.”
According to the Autocar report, the Audi off-roader could be based on models from the Volkswagen Group's new Scout brand: The body-on-frame Traveler SUV and Tera ute, with electric or range-extender hybrid power.
The Scout vehicles, due to go on sale in 2027, will be manufactured at a new factory in the United States, opening the door for Audi to build its model there to avoid tariffs.
“At a group level, we are right now discussing and investigating whether or not we should have a factory for Audi in the US," Döllner said.
“But that’s dependent on a stable tariff situation and also on other regulatory boundary conditions that we would need to take [into consideration for] a decision like that.”
“The big question is if we want to have a specific Audi factory or not, and that decision is absolutely open and dependent on how we are aligned with the US government.”
BMW is reportedly also considering its own G-Class and Defender rival, which would be built at its factory in the US and replace its XM performance SUV.
However, the BMW is likely to be based on its X5 SUV, rather than using a ladder-frame construction.
Scout boss Scott Keogh said, "Australia's on the list" of markets to expand into after its initial launch in the United States, with readiness for right-hand drive production reportedly built into the vehicle.
"We want to nail [the United States of] America and Canada. Those will be our first markets. And then after that, we will look to other markets," Keogh said at the 2025 Munich motor show last month.
"Certainly, Australia's on the list. Obviously, we're not naive. We see the market in Australia. We see you like these sorts of pick-up truck, get-outdoors, can-do kind of vehicles. … We're certainly aware of the opportunity."
Right-hand drive production of the new Scout models could allow Audi's new off-roader to reach Australia, should it be based on the new brand's vehicles.
Family Cars Guide
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
