It was one of the vehicles involved in the Volkswagen emissions scandal, with the company ordered to buy back some of the affected cars manufactured between 2009 and 2012.

Previewed by the Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept car, the Q7 is designed more for on-road use, and was not meant for serious off-road use where a transfer case is needed.

[citation needed][18] Development began in 2002 under the code AU 716, primarily focused on the Pikes Peak Concept.

Design work was frozen for the Concept in July 2002, for presentation at the North American International Auto Show in January 2003.

"[19] Writing for the same newspaper, Martin Love described the interior as "a master class in luxury" whilst calling the Q7 "vast, whale-like, bloated ... it's the Lurch of the hard shoulder, a gas-guzzling Zeppelin" and saying "clearly those who buy SUVs couldn't give a monkey's about petrol consumption, but responsible makers such as Audi need to protect these people from themselves.

"[20] In the Sunday Times, Gavin Conway called the Q7 "vast and intimidating" and said "the whole cabin feels expensively made out of high-quality materials" before noting the lack of space in the third row of seats compared to similar cars from other manufacturers.

[24] According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, and has since been fixed in cars manufactured after the test which should allegedly lead to five stars.

[29] The Q7 hybrid is a concept vehicle using the engine from the 4.2 FSI with an electric motor to provide 200 N⋅m (148 lb⋅ft) extra torque, and nickel-metal hydride battery.

[38] Audi cancelled the plan to federalize the Q7 V12 TDI for the US market due in part to the global financial crisis of 2008.

The Audi Q7 coastline is a concept version of the Q7 V12 TDI that features an Inuit white interior with wood decoration.

Per Popular Mechanics 01 Oct. 2009, at 72.5MPH with an RPM of 2,200 - 2,500 (the sweet spot of the top 6th gear), the car achieved a 29.6 MPG of diesel.

A brand new facelift brought optional LED headlights, an 8-speed transmission, start/stop fuel-saving technology, CO2 rating reduced to 195 g/km, and a wraparound tailgate design.

The second generation Audi Q7 was unveiled in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

[48] The diesel- and petrol-powered versions were released for retail sales in 2015, followed shortly by diesel-powered plug-in hybrid variant, which is sold in Europe,[49] but not in Canada.

[52] The 94 kW (126 hp) electric motor is powered by a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery capable of delivering an all-electric range of 54 to 56 km (34 to 35 mi).

[53] The Irish Independent found these official fuel economy claims to be completely unrealistic, although they noted that the 40 to 50 miles per imperial gallon (7.1 to 5.6 L/100 km; 33 to 42 mpg‑US) they achieved in their tests to be "still exceptional for a large SUV like this".

[53] Audi announced the Q7 e-tron TFSI at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show, developed specially for Asian markets (China, South Korea, Singapore and Japan).

[59] The Q7 2.0 TFSI (1984 cc, 252 PS (249 hp; 185 kW)) is also available in the Russia, United States, Canada, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

[61] The Q7 was facelifted for the 2020 model year, introducing styling tweaks such as a redesigned grille, front and rear bumpers, new side sills, chrome trim for the tailgate and revised exhaust tips.

It comes with two-tone paint as standard, which highlights the front splitter, side skirts, wheel arches and rear diffuser in anthracite, a range of mild-hybrid powertrains and refined chassis.

Audi has also expanded the Q7's options list to include a new active roll-stabilisation system (only available on SQ7 Prestige and SQ7 in US and Canada, respectively).

It provides active anti-roll bars, controlled by a 48-volt electric motor that automatically adjust to reflect the driving style and road conditions.

The 55 TFSI petrol model comes with 335 bhp (250 kW; 340 PS) and 500 N⋅m (369 lb⋅ft) of torque, with a claimed 5.6 seconds and a 155 mph (249 km/h) electronically limited top speed.

The US model will use a V8 engine with the same displacement (shared with the US-market SQ8), albeit fueled by gasoline/petrol and producing 500 bhp (370 kW; 510 PS) and 770 N⋅m (568 lb⋅ft) of torque; it went on sale in late spring 2020.

SQ7 offers a TFSI variant with a 4.0 twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine delivers 500 bhp (370 kW; 510 PS) and 770 N⋅m (568 lb⋅ft) of torque.