Q7

Make
Audi
Segment
SUV

It's sort of difficult to say that any one thing manufactured by the Volkswagen Group belongs to any one particular brand. A big part of the automotive giant's success comes from its ability to share components or platforms without making it obvious that it's happening. So when we say the new Q7 will be using a Bentley platform, this is only because the new Bentley SUV will be the first to use the new MLB platform, but it will eventually make its way around to more vehicles.

The new Q7 will debut next year, shortly after the Bentley, and will bring with it a newly tweaked version of the Audi design language. The new platform, and the more extensive use of aluminum, means that the new Q7 will weigh 350kg less than the current model, a fairly substantial cut in weight. For 2016, the MLB platform will underpin a new Touareg and a new Porsche Cayenne, followed a year later by a production version of Lamborghini's Urus SUV. Keen observers will note that this actually is all of the big SUV models in the VW group lineup, but since the Q7, Touareg and Cayenne already share a platform, this isn't surprising.