Dear 001,
Here's the insider first impression emailed to me this week...
As small as a BMW X3 (in some eyes), but as expensive as a RR-Sport - will the Audi Q7 find any buyers?
At Franfurt in September, the Q7 - Audi's answer to the BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport.
Developed from the Pikes Peak Quattro concept car, the seven-seater SUV called Q7 will have a conventional steel chassis and share some of it's major 4x4 components with the Volkswagen Touareg and surprisingly, the Porsche Cayenne.
1st and 2nd tier suppliers tell me that much of it's systems and component's will be unique though.
The interior is based on a beefed up A6/A8 style, built to Audi's normally exceptional standards.
Audi has to compete with BMW and RR so as ever, cars will feature the same adaptive air suspension systems and be endowed with all the usual toys and gadgets.
The engine line up is still unclear, but similarly it must compete with the big boys so a possibility is the original Pikes Peak show cars featured 500bhp FSI direct-injection petrol engine, a version of the twin-turbo 4.2 V8.
Expect also a normal A8 sourced V8 plus Audi's great A6 3.7-litre diesel too - driving through a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It is still unclear whether their DSG box is capable in this vehicle format.
Audi is touting this car as a rival for BMW, Land Rover and Porsche, but never mind competitor to the X5, RR-Sport, this car looks more X3/C5 size of vehicle and to be honest not massive inside our bulky outside!
You'll have to wait to see it in the flesh before making your mind up as the current crop of spy shots are poor.
However, one insider admitted to me that there are already a number of these vehicles on the market, with very strong brands, and the Q7 does nothing special. The Audi dealer I spoke to would not even hint at a price. Would you buy one, he asked me? Err ...??????
Ingrid Shtat