Audi Q7 CKD Confirmed, Launches This Year

PHSAM informally confirmed earlier today that it will introduce the latest iteration of the second-gen Audi Q7 luxury SUV soon, and the firm adds it will be localised (CKD) too.

Authorised Audi importers and distributors PHS Automotive Malaysia (PHSAM) is set to expand the four-ringed marque’s local line-up this year. Revealed informally today were plans to introduce the Audi Q7 luxury SUV, and it will be locally assembled (CKD) too.

“We are set to introduce the Audi Q7 in Malaysia soon, and it will be the first Audi product to be locally assembled outside Europe here in Southeast Asia,” said Denyu Bostandzhiev, Managing Director of PHSAM, informally during a press luncheon hosted by the firm earlier today.

The MLB Evo-based Q7 was recently refreshed for the second time in 2024 featuring a slew of mild exterior tweaks.

The exec continued further to confirm that the localised Q7 model will feature a mild hybrid (MHEV) powertrain, and that PHSAM has chosen one sole “highly equipped” variant for the Malaysian market. “We will reveal more details next month ahead of the model’s launch,” adds the exec.

Bostandzhiev stopped short of confirming the model’s actual launch date, which is projected to be sometime in April. Notably, the Audi Q7 CKD will be the fourth MLB Evo-platformed product localised in Malaysia after the VW Touareg, as well as the Kulim-built Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne S E-hybrid Coupe PHEV.

PHSAM MD Denyu Bostandzhiev confirmed the Audi Q7 CKD will feature an MHEV powertrain, as well as RWS primed in its driveline.

As a refresher, the second-generation Audi Q7 first debuted back in 2015 before undergoing two refreshes in 2020 and 2024. The former brought a raft of aesthetic and mechanical changes, whilst the latter saw slight design tweaks to include revised new matrix LED lighting front and aft.

Based on the details provided, expect the Pekan-built Q7 to pack Audi’s signature 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo petrol mill outputting 340 HP and 450 NM. Paired with the marque’s signature quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) and 8-speed Tiptronic transmission, it promises 0-100 KM/H dashes in 5.6 secs.

PHSAM is poised to offer the Q7 CKD in one sole variant that promises to be "highly equipped". It will also come with a three-row seating layout.

Besides that, Bostandzhiev also confirmed the model will pack rear-wheel-steering (RWS). Other details the exec confirmed is the model’s adoption of a three-row seating layout on board. Apart from which, little else was disclosed by the exec today.

The Q7 CKD will soon join its cousins like the Pekan-built VW Touareg (top), and Kulim-built Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupe PHEV (above) as the fourth localised VW MLB Evo-based offering in Malaysia.

Typically, model pricing remains anyone’s guess at this point, however Bostandzhiev promises that the upcoming Audi Q7 CKD will have a “highly attractive price tag” to match.  Expect the Audi Q7 CKD to be priced between its VW- and Porsche-badged cousins mentioned.

For reference, PHSAM recently lowered the price for the VW Touareg CKD from RM472,272 (with VAP) initially to just RM402,272 (with VAP). The Kulim-built Cayenne and Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupe, on the other hand, are each tagged with base prices of RM599,999 and RM728,000 sans options and on-road costs.