As former Audi design chief Marc Lichte correctly pointed out back in 2023, only two automakers in the luxury segment offer a rugged SUV with genuine off-road capability. Those would be the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender – two models that don’t just trade on image, but also deliver serious profits for their respective brands. Naturally, that kind of success hasn’t gone unnoticed.Several automakers are currently rumored to be working on rivals for the G-Class and Defender, and Audi looks to be the most active. The brand has been quietly dropping hints about a rugged, body-on-frame-style contender, and the signals are starting to add up. Most recently, company CEO Gernot Döllner offered the clearest indication yet that a bona fide Audi off-roader could be on the way. More Than Just Rumors AudiAs first reported by Autocar, Döllner used Audi’s annual general meeting held this week in Ingolstadt to address the growing swirl of speculation around the brand’s future lineup. Without confirming specifics, he noted that Audi’s portfolio is broad enough to support “everything from an entry-level electric vehicle to sports cars all the way to rugged SUVs,” adding that we can “expect a lot from Audi” in the future.What’s telling is how much of that roadmap is already taking shape. The entry-level EV was confirmed this week as the Audi A2 e-tron, with prototypes already spotted in public testing ahead of an expected debut later this year. On the performance front, Audi previewed its next sports car, also an EV, with the striking Audi Concept C last year, with a production version expected as soon as next year. With two of those pillars already materializing, the case for a rugged SUV joining the lineup is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.AudiOther clues include Audi in 2024 hiring Massimo Frascella as its design chief. Frascella is a former Jaguar Land Rover designer responsible for the modern Defender. Audi has also been testing electrified all-wheel-drive off-roaders in racing, specifically with its RS Q e-tron racers competing in recent years in the Dakar Rally. The program doubles as a test bed for Audi’s next-generation electric all-wheel-drive system, dubbed Quattro 2.0, which could eventually underpin a production-ready off-roader. There was also a wild Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron concept with portal axles unveiled last year (pictured above). Audi Q9 Comes First CarBuzz/ValnetAudi’s next major SUV will be a full-size model called the Q9, aimed squarely at the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, and Cadillac Escalade. It’s set to debut later this year alongside a next-generation Q7, and at this week’s gathering in Ingolstadt, Döllner noted that the Q9 was developed with US customers primarily in mind, and that the US will also see the model launched first.While the Q9 won’t be built in the US, Döllner told Autocar last year that the current tariff landscape has prompted discussions about local production, either at an existing facility, like Volkswagen's plant in Tennessee, or a new site like the one being constructed by Scout in Sourth Carolina. While the US would make the most sense as a production location for the rugged SUV, as it will almost certainly be the vehicle’s largest market, Döllner said any final decision will hinge on future US government policies.Scout MotorsThe talk of Audi possibly using Scout's plant has also fueled speculation that Audi could adapt the body-on-frame platform being developed by Scout for the upcoming Terra pickup truck and Traveler SUV, for its own rugged SUV. The platform is designed for electric powertrains but can also accommodate an internal combustion engine serving as a range extender, an option that is planned for the Scout lineup.
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