Today let's talk about the history of the Audi Q7. In 2002, Volkswagen released the first generation of the Touareg.
The first generation of the Volkswagen Touareg
At this time, the development plan for the Audi Q7 has already begun. The design team completed the overall concept and mechanical components of the new car in five months. The team used a number of Volkswagen and Audi parts for the concept car, such as the front and rear axles of the Touareg, the air suspension of the Audi A8 and the twin-turbocharged V8 engine of the Audi RS6.
In January 2003, Audi unveiled a new sporty multi-purpose concept car, the Pikes Peak quattro Concept, at the North American International Auto Show.
Pikes Peak quattro Concept
The name is taken from the "Pikes Peak International Hill Climb". Originating in 1916, this event is one of the most famous hill climbs in the world. The race is nearly 20 kilometers long and has a total of 156 corners. Due to the high altitude of 4,301 meters at the end of the race, the event is also known as the "race on the clouds". In the late '80s, Audi broke several records in this event thanks to Quattro technology. The car is named after Pikes Peak, which also commemorates this period of history.
The appearance of Parker Peak has attracted widespread attention and people's eager expectations for its mass production. There was a joke about Pikes Peak before: a Leslaus hit an "Audi Q7", the young Rolls-Royce owner got out of the car and scolded, the Audi owner kept silent, just waiting for the Rolls-Royce owner to spray tired, and then said lightly, "Call your dad and say that you touched a Pikes Peak". This is because Parker's R&D expenses are as high as 30 million euros (about 270 million yuan). Of course, this will never happen. This is because only one Pikes Peak Concept was produced and is currently parked in the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt, Germany.
Pikes Peak quattro Concept
Over the next two years, Audi continued to refine the concept car in preparation for its launch.
The first generation of Audi Q7 (2005-2015)
In September 2005, at the 61st Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi unveiled the Audi Q7, the brand's first SUV in history.
The exterior was designed by the Japanese car designer Tomoshi Wada, here is a brief description of this designer: Tomoshi Wada was born in 1961,
Satoshi Wada
After graduating from Musashino Art University, he joined Nissan Motor Company. At the age of 27, he completed his debut: the first generation of Nissan style A31.
Tomoshi Wada's first work: Nissan style A31
He joined Audi in 1998, where he completed one of his most important works: the Audi A6 with the chassis code C6, which is the most common official car in China.
Audi A6 (C6)
Audi A6 (C6)
It was this car that made Tomochi Wada famous and began to serve as the chief designer of Audi. Later, he successively participated in the design of A5, TT, R8, Q7 and other models. In addition to automobiles, Tomoshi Wada also crosses over the design of Issey Miyake's watches and other products.
A watch designed by Tomo Wada
The exterior of the original Audi Q7 basically inherits the design elements of the Pikes Peak Concept. The front end is almost identical, with only the rear and details modified. The vehicle is still a round and full design style, the front face adopts the classic "big mouth" grille, and the headlight design is sharp and stable. The length of the car is 5.086 meters, while the wheelbase is more than 3 meters, and the waistline extends from the headlights to the taillights. The whole vehicle gives people a heavy, dignified and atmospheric feeling.
Audi Q7
The interior is almost identical to the A6 of the C6 model of that year. It's just that the details are more luxurious in terms of processing and materials. In terms of equipment, it offers 8 airbags, panoramic sunroof, 4-zone air conditioning, MMI multimedia system, 14-speaker BOSE audio system and other luxury equipment.
In terms of power, it is equipped with 3.6-liter V6 and 4.2-liter V8FSI petrol engines and a 4.2-liter V8TDI diesel engine, with a maximum power of 233-350Ps. All three engines are mated to a six-speed Tiptronic automatic manual transmission. In addition, all models are equipped with Audi's proud Quattro all-wheel drive system as standard.
At the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show, Audi unveiled a mid-life facelift of the original Q7. The design of the facelifted Q7 is clearly tending to be younger, with as many as a dozen improvements to the exterior and the addition of LED daytime running lights, making the car look more youthful and sporty.
The mid-term facelift of the Q7
A new 3.0TDI diesel engine was added to the power, and a 6.0-liter V12 common rail supercharged diesel engine was introduced, with a maximum power of 500Ps and a peak torque of 1000N·m. This engine allows the 2.6-ton SUV to accelerate from zero to 100 in 5.5 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission has also been upgraded.
V12 TDi
As the pioneer of Audi's SUV family, the original Q7 was a great success with its excellent product strength and differentiated positioning, and became the yearning of successful people at that time.
2nd generation Audi Q7 (2015-so far)
After almost 10 years in service, Audi has finally given the Q7 a new generation. The second-generation Q7, based on the MLB EVO platform, was unveiled at the 2015 North American International Auto Show.
The exterior of the car was designed by Wolfgang Egger, who officially joined BYD at the end of 2016 as BYD's global design director after completing the design of the second-generation Q7.
The exterior design of the body is completely different from the design style of the previous model. The sleek and angular lines are further emphasised by the new hexagonal shield grille, sharp LED headlights and a flatter tail line. Based on Audi's lightweight philosophy, the second-generation Q7 is up to 300 kilograms lighter than its predecessor.
The interior is similar to that of the Audi A4L of the same year, with a new two-tone split design in the center console, combined with the shape of the air conditioning vents and the central trim, and a 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster to create a sense of high technology and reflect more vitality.
It is powered by 2.0 and 3.0TFSI gasoline engines and 3.0TDI diesel engines, mated to an 8-speed automatic manual transmission. In addition, there is a plug-in hybrid system, consisting of a 3.0TDI diesel engine and an electric motor, with a combined maximum output of 374Ps and a peak torque of 700Nm.
In 2016, Audi introduced a high-performance version of the SQ7 model. The SQ7 is equipped with a 4.0T diesel engine equipped with an electronic turbocharger and has a maximum power of 435Ps.
After the launch of the second-generation Q7, the overall market performance is not optimistic. Many prospective Q7 owners have their sights set on the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. Audi had to continue to lower the end price, but it still suffered a sales waterloo. In 2020, a mid-life facelift of the second-generation Q7 was launched. The car has undergone major changes both inside and out.
The second-generation mid-cycle facelift Q7
The exterior features the latest octagonal grille shape. 6 vertical trim strips make the front face more impactful. Coupled with the matrix LED light group, the whole vehicle looks very domineering.
The interior is almost entirely based on the interior of the Q8. The use of three-screen design, coupled with a large number of touch buttons, and a more stable color matching, have greatly improved the sense of technology and grade.
Interior
The Audi Q7 has been on the market for 19 years and has only two generations. As a leading model that once dominated the million-level luxury SUV market, today's situation is embarrassing. The positioning of a car is crucial, and the facelifted Q7 lacks the unique style and image that the brand's flagship SUV should have, which is the main reason why this car series has fallen off the altar. In 2023, the domestic sales of the Audi Q7 will be 17,900 units, while the sales of the BMW X5L and Mercedes-Benz GLE in the same class will be 93,900 and 39,800 respectively.