Audi has offered the first look inside its upcoming Q9 luxury SUV, and at first blush, it looks like Audi is making a bid at winning the screen wars. Perhaps more interesting, Audi doesn’t make a single mention of screens in its press release.Which is... odd. Just look at that dash space. Even the front passenger has a full slate of touchscreen options an elbow bend away.The emphasis, instead, is on the vehicle’s overall luxuriousness: the high-quality materials, the push-button doors, the 4D sound system, the lighting design, and an optional, automatically dimming sunroof, which basically turns the roof into a giant liquid-crystal display (aka, another screen).Set to debut later this year, the Q9 will become Audi’s largest SUV and its first full-size three-row vehicle, taking on the likes of the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, and Cadillac Escalade.“With the Q9, ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is increasingly defined by the in-car experience,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said in a statement. “Cars have long been much more than just a means of transportation; they are mobile living spaces for our customers.”The Q9’s cabin will sport either six- and seven-seat layouts, with either individual second-row captain’s chairs similar to business-class airline seating, or three seats across that can accommodate child seats at each position. The second row will also have electrically sliding and tilting functions to improve access to the third row.Interior view of a luxury car with a panoramic sunroof and stylish seatingThe luxo-ute also gets electrically powered doors, which Audi says is a first for the automaker. Passengers can open each door via push-button controls, using the key fob, or through the myAudi smartphone app (which we can’t figure out when we’d use that). Sensors are designed to prevent the doors from opening into obstacles, cyclists, or nearby traffic.Adding to the luxurious atmosphere is a panoramic glass roof Audi says measures roughly 16 square feet and can open at a push of a button or be hidden under a sunshade. An optional system allow the sunroof to switch between transparent and opaque modes using Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal technology, eliminating the need for that shade. The Q9 will also have an optional lighting package that integrates 84 LEDs into the roof structure, which can scroll through 30 ambient colors.There’s also an updated Bang & Olufsen 4D audio system with surround sound speakers built into the headrest, as well as seat-mounted actuators that allow front passengers to physically feel music through vibrations.Audi decked out the cabin with plenty of matte wood surfaces, textured finishes, Nappa leather, and Dinamica microfiber, adding to its high-quality feel.We may have to wait till closer to launch late this year to get any details on the powertrain or performance specs, but Audi says the full Q9 will be unveiled on July 28.
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