New Audi Q5 Hybrid (2024 launch): Everything we know

Update: ‘2024 Audi Q5 Plug-in Hybrid’ sub-section of ‘Platform & Specifications’ updated.

The Audi Q5, the German automaker’s best-selling model worldwide, is undergoing an overhaul to enter its third generation. As part of the company’s push to electrify its vehicle lines, the 2024 Audi Q5 Hybrid variant should be a big part of the new family. Here’s everything we know about the next-gen Q5, which is expected to hit the U.S. as a 2025 model.

Design & Interior

The third generation of the Audi Q5 will bring much greater design changes than the second generation model. The proportions look quite similar, but the front and rear look more striking in the redesigned SUV.

A shorter octagonal Singleframe, slimmer and more technical-looking headlamps, taller lower air intake, and side air inlets give the 2024 Audi Q5 a new and confident character. At the rear, the all-new Q5 is likely to get a more striking appearance with sleeker rear combination lamps and a full-width narrow light band running between them, accentuating the SUV’s width just like the redesigned grille.

Video Source: YouTube/CarSpyMedia

In the video above, CarSpyMedia shows the next-generation Q5 coping with the brutal winter near the Arctic Circle. Although the body is mostly camouflaged, some parts remain exposed. Its signature Singleframe grille is clearly visible, as are its vertical air intakes. The prototype has regular turn signals both in the headlamps and taillamps, but the production version will likely have dynamic turn signals.

Audi is testing the next-generation Q5, including the next-generation Q5 Hybrid, with the final exterior, including production-intent headlights and taillights. Recent pictures show test mules with different exhaust systems, suggesting the company is testing the various configurations it plans to offer at launch.

Inside, Audi designers will look to further trim the number of physical controls and increase digitalization. Expect a new touchscreen infotainment system with many new/improved connectivity functions.

An interior spy shot (view on motor.es) has revealed the 2024 Audi Q5 sporting the new-generation steering wheel of the Audi Q4 e-tron. It has a flattened top and bottom, and its design and positioning look adapted to those of the instrument cluster. The new spokes give the steering wheel a more contemporary and upscale appearance compared to that of the current model. The standard steering wheel could be a round unit, though. The same spy shot shows a large free-standing touchscreen mounted on the dashboard, which will also be observed in the upcoming Audi Q6 e-tron SUV.

Level 2/Level 2+ autonomous driving

According to Autocar’s May 19, 2022 report, the enhanced version of the MLB platform would enable Audi Q5 to support Level 2 autonomous driving features. Our guess is that the list will possibly include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like lane keep assist, radar-assisted dynamic cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, satellite navigation-based cornering speed control, etc. However, L2 autonomous driving requires hands to be on the steering with full driver attention and should not be misinterpreted as complete autonomous driving.

New Audi Q5 Sportback

Shortly after the new Audi Q5, a fully redesigned Audi Q5 Sportback is expected to go on sale. The Sportback model should boast of the same new dynamic and refreshed exterior design, which could make it stand out among compact luxury SUV-Coupes on the market.

The new Q5 Sportback, with its sleek, coupe-like styling, is designed to appeal to younger customers. We imagine that the back glass would slope sharply downwards, giving the car a dynamic look. It should sport exclusive bumpers and wheels as well to set itself apart from the regular Q5. Expect it to come in only higher-end trims that offer plenty of equipment as standard.

Platform & Specifications

MLB-Evo

The 2024 Audi Q5 should sit on an improved version of the current model’s MLB-evo platform. Among other enhancements, the updated platform should offer support for all-wheel steering (rear-axle steering), suggests an Autocar report. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction and reduce the turning radius, while at high speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels and provide more stability.

Space

Based on high-resolution spy photos of a prototype, Auto Express reported on July 14, 2022, that Audi is planning to extend the wheelbase of the Q5. As a result, rear-seat passengers should have more legroom. Currently, the Q5 measures 184.3/184.6 inches in length and has a wheelbase of 111.0 inches. It offers 38.0 inches of legroom in the rear.

Best-ever Audi engine?

As part of its Vorsprung 2030 strategy, Audi is working on introducing its final combustion-engine generation. In June 2021, former CEO Markus Duesmann announced at the Berlin climate conference that “Audi’s last internal combustion engine will be the best we’ve ever built.” The next-gen Q5 will likely get engines from the final generation. A majority of the gasoline and diesel engines in the next-generation Q5 should be 48-volt mild hybrids.

2024 Audi SQ5

Speculation in the German media is that the new SQ5 will downsize and lose its V6 when it moves to the next generation. At least in Europe, where it’s diesel-powered, it’s expected to switch from the 3.0-liter V6 TDI to a four-cylinder TDI. However, with a bigger electric motor, the peak power is expected to be higher at 272 kW (365 hp). A 0-62 mph sprint should take around 4.7 seconds, which would be a considerable upgrade over the 251 kW (336hp) SQ5 V6 TDI’s 5.1 seconds.

2024 Audi Q5 Plug-in Hybrid

Audi will likely offer a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with a plug-in hybrid system, one that should be available in the U.S., too. The current model’s 14.4 kWh (net) battery pack provides an EV-mode range of 62 km/39 miles on the WLTP cycle and only 23 miles as per EPA’s test method.

Audi should install a new battery pack with an energy storage capacity of around 20 kWh in the next-gen Q5 PHEV for a significant improvement in the electric driving range. The company may target a WLTP range closer to 100 km/62 miles and an EPA-est. range of 35-40 miles.

The engines employed in the next-gen Audi Q5, including the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, will be more efficient and eco-friendly. The company will want to ensure that they are future-proof and ready to meet the Euro 7 emission norms. According to the Autocar report, the 2.0-liter EA888 engine, which we expect to be under the hood of the plug-in hybrid variant, will get an updated fuel injection system and a new particulate filter.

2025 Audi RS Q5 Plug-in Hybrid

RS Q5 variants were not introduced for the first two generations of the Q5, but it appears that the company is cooking up a variant for performance enthusiasts with the third generation. On September 14, 2022, Motor.es reported, based on a new prototype spotted in Southern Europe, that an RS Q5 is under development. The prototype had covers to hide the doors for fueling/charging, which indicated that it was a PHEV. Moreover, the Spanish publication claims that the test mule had an electrical danger warning sign (probably the yellow sticker on the driver’s window), which is a solid backing for that speculation.

Motor.es claims that the first (and possibly the last) RS Q5 PHEV will club a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 gas engine with an electric motor. It says that the high-performance SUV’s WLTP electric range will be just around 20 km. That would mean that the powertrain will direct most of the electric power to improve performance.

Price & Release Date

The next-gen Audi Q5 should start rolling into American dealerships in the second half of 2024. The Audi Mexico plant, located in San José Chiapa, specializes in Q5 production and should manufacture the third-generation SUV, which should hit the market as a 2025 model. Expect prices to start at a little over USD 45,000. The Audi RS Q5 and new Q5 Sportback should follow a few months later.

The second-gen Q5 that’s currently on sale received what is likely its final MY update to become a 2024 model in June 2023. Audi of America has introduced new standard features like Active lane assist, heated steering wheel with Hands-on Detection, and—with the exception of the plug-in hybrid variant—remote engine start via myAudi app to make the outgoing Q5 more appealing.

As for RHD markets, Audi could take its time to introduce the new Q5. Jeff Mannering, Audi Australia’s Director, told CarSales.com.au in November 2023 that the next-gen Q5 will arrive in the next “12 to 24 months” down under.

In December 2023, Audi was testing the next-gen Q5 along with the first-ever A5 Avant (A4 Avant successor) on the streets of Melbourne. CarsGuide reached out to Audi Australia to know what was going on, as it’s unusual for future Audis to appear in the country before their global reveal. The company said that the prototypes were there for local testing for future platforms and driver assistance technologies.

Prototypes spotted in the U.S.

Spy pictures Reddit user ablair05 shared earlier in March 2024 indicated that Audi is already conducting local testing of the U.S.-spec next-gen Q5 to perform any required market-specific tuning. This wasn’t the first appearance of the upcoming luxury SUV in the U.S., though.

In September 2023, YouTube channel TFLNow shared a spy video of three camouflaged combustion-powered Audi prototypes testing in the Colorado mountains. Two Avants (presumed as next-gen A6s) and the next-gen Audi SQ5 were part of the pack, clocking miles in the dry air and altitude of the high country, sporting Michigan registration plates. The next-gen SQ5 is characterized by four exhaust outlets, as opposed to a single-side exhaust on the regular models.

Sales

The Q5 is Audi’s highest-selling model worldwide. In the U.S., it was yet again the top-performing Audi in 2023, with sales of 74,145 units (YoY sales up by 18 percent). Audi would hope that the upcoming full model change would continue to keep its mid-size SUV at the top of the sales chart.

No plans for an Audi Q5 Electric outside China

An all-electric Audi Q5 e-tron is available in China since mid-2022, but it will likely remain a country-specific product for the foreseeable future. For global customers looking for an all-electric Q5, the Audi Q4 e-tron or Audi Q8 e-tron may have some of the attributes they desire. Later this year, the company will begin sales of the Audi Q6 e-tron as well, which is an important launch for the four-ringed brand’s EV ambitions.

TopElectricSUV says

The new Q5, the third generation of Audi’s best-selling model in the U.S. and globally, is almost certainly the final Q5 with an internal combustion engine under the hood. There are indicators that it will come with new engines — the best ones Audi has ever built, more extensive electrification, new hands-free driving tech, enhanced safety, and substantial design changes. We expect the redesigned SUV to offer more value for money. With compliance norms getting tougher, hybrids and plug-in hybrid electrification technologies aren’t disappearing anytime soon, and the next-gen Q5 will be a testament to that.

New Audi Q5 FAQs

Featured image: TopElectricSUV’s rendition of the new Audi Q5.