What is likely to be the last generation of Audi’s Q5 midsize crossover has been spotted lightly camouflaged during cold-weather testing in Europe.
Audi’s top-selling nameplate in the U.S. — not due to arrive here until 2025, with European sales coming a year earlier — will be redesigned for a third and final generation. It will be one of the last Audis powered by an internal combustion engine before the brand goes fully electric after the turn of the decade.
The Q5 was introduced in 2008 and last redesigned for the 2017 model year.
From spy shots, the next-generation Q5 appears slightly larger than the current model, and sensor placement indicates it will receive a greater degree of assisted driving capabilities. The front fascia is changed dramatically, though it will retain Audi’s single-frame trapezoidal grille, with lighting upgrades likely.
The all-wheel-drive crossover’s rear hatch styling also appears to have undergone a makeover, albeit slight.
Audi said previously that it wants its final internal combustion vehicles to have the brand’s most powerful and efficient powertrains, so it’s reasonable to expect more horsepower and fuel economy compared with the current base model’s 201-hp inline-four engine, which is rated at 23 mpg city/29 highway/25 combined.
The next-generation Q5 will be shown to the public likely sometime in 2023.