2020 Audi Q7: Petrol power on the cards for Australia

No petrol-powered variant of the pre-facelift Q7 was offered, despite BMW and Mercedes-Benz offering petrol power in their large SUV rivals to the Q7. That could change when the 2020 Q7 touches down in the first half of 2020.

Production constraints in Europe caused by the rollout of stricter WLTP emissions tests have left the Q7, traditionally one of Audi's strongest-selling models in Australia, in limbo through 2019. Just 167 have been registered this year, down from 1197 to the end of June in 2018.

When it arrives next year, the new Q7 will provide Audi a much-needed boost. The brand is down 32.2 per cent in 2019, lagging well behind BMW (2505 sales, down 4.0 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (3377 sales, down 13.2 per cent).

Speaking with CarAdvice at the international launch of the new Q7, an Audi spokesperson confirmed the turbo-diesel Q7 50 TDI will lead the charge Down Under, but a '55 TFSI' petrol is also a 'maybe' for Australia.

BMW caters to those keen on petrol power with its X5 xDrive 40i, while Mercedes offer the GLE 400.

Power in the 50 TDI comes from a V6 turbo-diesel engine making 210kW and 600Nm, put to the road through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That makes it a natural rival for the BMW X5 30d (195kW/620Nm) and Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d (180kW/500Nm).

The closest equivalent in the current Q7 line-up is the 3.0 TDI, priced from $106,900 before on-road costs. Audi Australia hasn't confirmed pricing for the new model, but we'd suggest it'll be in a similar ballpark.

Details about the 55 TFSI are harder to come by, but we can use the Q8 55 TFSI as a guide. It's powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 making 250kW and 500Nm, once again hooked up to an eight-speed torque converter.

The new Q7 will arrive locally in the first half of 2020.