While EV sales have been falling in some parts of the world, but in Europe it retains its momentum, capturing a 20% market share in the first quarter of 2026. Furthermore, while the EU backed off an outright diesel ban, it's expected that more severe regulation will be coming in some form or another.
Queue Audi, who is now launching a new Q7 in Europe with just a single engine option, a 3.0-litre V6 TDI mild-hybrid powertrain diesel.
This raised quite a few eyebrows, but according to Audi, customer demand tells a different story when it comes to large premium SUVs, despite them selling quite a few large premium SUVs as EVs.
A company spokesperson told Motor1 that the V6 diesel was prioritised because it remains the most popular engine choice among European Q7 buyers. Audi says it always launches vehicles with the powertrains most relevant to each market, and for Europe that continues to be the TDI.
"Based on customer demand, we start with the most important engines per market or region. In Europe, this is the V6 TDI with 295 hp and 241 hp output. Both engines have MHEV plus technology with an additional 24 hp", Audi says.
