Audi Q1, Q2, Q4 and Q6 - the rumours grow

Audi Q1 - or some new Audi beginning with Q, anyway.

Audi are planning on expanding their range of ‘Q’ cars, with coupe versions offering a sportier experience. Think Audi Q1, Q2, Q4, Q6 and maybe even Audi Q8

I know, you won’t be surprised to learn that Audi may be planning on a plethora of new SUVs of varying sizes. After all, if there’s a niche that could exist Audi will jump in to fill it.

We’ve had the Audi Q1 rumours on and off for a while, with the last time we reported the likely arrival of an Audi Q1 being last Summer. There’s no question it will happen, just a case of when.

The Audi Q1 is planned to take on the premium rufty-tufty city cars from MINI with the Countryman and even Land Rover with the Evoque. Although that’s more likely to be the job of the two other rumours currently doing the rounds on Audi’s model plans – the Audi Q4 and Audi Q6.

The Q4 and Q6 are much more in the realms of guesswork, but highly plausible. They are set to be coupe versions of the Q3 and Q5 or, depending which rumour floats your boat, the Q5 and Q7.

Autocar thinks the Q4 will be a Q5 based coupe with the top half looking like an A5 has been grafted on, designed to take the fight to the Evoque. And just to throw yet another moniker in to the ring, Autocar thinks there will be an Audi Q2 in addition to the Q4 and Q6.

On the other hand, Automobile in the US thinks the Audi Q6 will be based on the Audi Q5, not as has been previously suggested the Audi Q7. Again, the idea is that it will take on the BMW X6 with a sportier, coupe-like profile, but with more room than the X6.

But whatever actually happens – and all this speculation is really just educated guesswork – there is no doubt Audi will be expanding its range of ‘Q’ cars, and as soon as possible.

The launch of the Audi Q3 means that as much as 25 per cent of Audi’s cars will be SUVs of one sort or another, and the demand from the public shows no sign of waning. So a range of sportier, coupe-like SUVs is inevitable.

As Audi’s Chief Designer Wolfgang Egger recently said, Audi needs to compete with the X6, especially in China where the BMW has carved itself a real niche as the car of choice for ‘Ladies who Lunch’.

Which, with China’s penchant for large cars, could mean an Audi Q7-based Coupe that’s even bigger than the already huge Q7. And that could be the Audi Q8.

Just so we cover all the bases.