It’s coming – very soon!  After a lot of build-up and pre-release excitement, the Audi Q7 e-tron is set to arrive on Australian shores some time in early 2018 (the exact date of release isn’t available on the official Audi Australia website at the time of writing).

So what’s so special about the Audi Q7 e-tron?  What’s all the hype about?  Well, the Audi Q7 e-tron is a hybrid (a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, aka PHEV, at that), but it’s not just any hybrid.  Most of your hybrid vehicles out there have a combination of an electric motor and a petrol motor.  Not so the Audi Q7 e-tron. Instead, it pairs the electric motor with a diesel powerplant.  This is a first not just for Australia but also for production cars around the world.  In some ways, this is what the future of green and sustainable motoring may well look like: it doesn’t get much greener than biodiesel plus electricity, especially if said electricity is generated by a sustainable or renewable method.  Of course, the Audi Q7 e-tron isn’t specifically set up for biodiesel and will take what’s currently available at your local bowser (as well as what’s available at your nearest charging centre).

It is the best of both worlds.  You see, most people who are in the market for a family-sized SUV – which is the segment that the Q7 falls into – usually want it for two reasons. Firstly, they want something nice and safe to do the Mum’s Taxi (or Dad’s Taxi) run with the kiddies to school in the morning, plus your usual town running about to the office, the supermarket, the bank ,etc.  In other words, the sort of driving where an electric motor comes into its own.  Secondly, those who want an SUV also like to have something that can carry a load or three, including a bit of towing and maybe some off-roading.  For this sort of thing, diesels are pretty darn good.  So add the two together… well, it’s a wonder that nobody else came up with the plug-in hybrid diesel concept before Audi.

The Audi Q7 e-tron has certainly been built for towing when the 3-litre V6 TDI engine is taking centre stage, and it’s claimed that this SUV can tow up to three tons, which is likely to make the Audi Q7 e-tron attractive to tradies as well as busy families.  This towing capacity comes thanks to 190 kW of power and a massive 700 Nm of torque, which might just about get a few little old farm tractors jealous.  When this motor is revving and working along with the 8-speed tiptronic transmission (and the famous Audi Quattro drivetrain), the Audi Q7 e-tron is capable of doing the 0–100 km/h dash in 6.2 seconds.

The 17.3 kW-h electric motor is no slouch either.  While the range of the lithium-ion battery is towards the lower end (56 km), it has excellent output and when running on purely electric power, the Audi Q7 e-tron is capable of speeds of up to 135 km/h (top speed is 230 km/h with the diesel).  The charge time is 2.5 hours minimum from an industrial strength charger and it’s about 10 hours if you use an at-home charger (so it does the job overnight quite nicely).  With the hybrid technology and the convenience of a stop/start function, the official combined fuel consumption figure is 1.9 L/100 km, although it’s going to be a lot more than that if you actually use the Audi Q7 e-tron for towing three tonnes on a regular basis.

As the Audi Q7 e-tron is part of the very popular Q7 range, it’s got the space and the luxury features we’ve come to expect from this prestigious German marque.  The version set for release in Australia will be a 5-seater, which means that it will suit the typical family (the front seats are heated – very nice!).  In the driver assistance department, Audi Australia has let slip that we’re going to get autonomous emergency braking, traffic jam assistance (which, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that it can make traffic jams magically disappear), cruise control, active lane assistance, exit warning assistance, navigation and voice recognition.  The navigation system, which is displayed on a 8.3-inch screen can display live traffic cams and 3D maps, and can talk to your phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto apps.

The exterior styling of the Audi Q7 e-tron is going to be very similar to that of the conventional Q7, with the main differences being the updated LED headlights, the 19-inch alloy wheels and the subtle e-tron badging. Keep your eyes open for it in early 2018!

Current model series include:

• Audi Q7 e-tron

For any more information on the Audi Q7 e-tron, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Audi dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!