Audi’s Q9 gamble as US tariff threat looms

The new Q9 is intended to sit at the top of Audi’s line-up, targeting buyers who want the space and presence of large family SUVs. But its timing is awkward. Washington has signalled it could lift tariffs on European car imports to 25%, a step Audi finance chief Juergen Rittersberger described as a “significant burden”. He noted, however, that the increase has not been formally confirmed.

Audi is more exposed than some premium rivals because it does not have its own manufacturing footprint in the US. That leaves it heavily reliant on bringing vehicles in from abroad. The Q9, billed as a flagship luxury model, will be built in Bratislava, Slovakia, at a plant that already supplies large SUVs for the Volkswagen Group.

Car makers have already been contending with a 15% tariff rate introduced under a US-EU framework deal last year. Any rise from that level would sharpen the squeeze on pricing, particularly in a segment where customers expect generous equipment and strong residual values. Audi has reiterated its 2026 profit outlook, which does not account for a higher levy. Volkswagen Group has previously put the annual cost of the current tariff environment at about €4 billion.

Juergen says Audi is again weighing whether to build vehicles in the US alongside Volkswagen, but stressed the sums are hard to make work without political support, such as subsidies or other forms of relief.

For Audi, the Q9 launch will be an early test of how resilient premium demand remains if higher duties begin to filter through to showroom prices.