Nowadays, not only the entry-level car market is fiercely competitive, but the high-end sector has also become a "red ocean". Especially those established luxury brands, not only have to face traditional opponents, but also have to deal with strong challenges from high-end models of their own brands. Audi Q7 has just completed a facelift. Is it competitive enough to face new challenges after the facelift? This issue of "Quality Car Selection" will reveal the answer for you.
First, basic information and product highlights
The 2024 Audi Q7 was officially launched on July 22, 2024. The new car was launched in four models, equipped with two different displacement engines of 2.0T and 3.0T, and comes standard with quattro OurHours four-wheel drive system.
The new Audi Q7 has a new exterior design, the front grille adopts the avant-garde single frame design concept, and the interior details are embellished with delicate honeycomb chrome decoration, giving it a more modern and fashionable visual effect. At the same time, the new car also has a Darth Vader version, which blackens all chrome decorative elements and matches the newly designed front surround to create a deep and dynamic atmosphere, like a dark knight ready to go. In addition, the new Audi Q7 also launched three new color schemes, namely Sakilkin, Istanbul Red, and Askari Blue.
The new Audi Q7 once again shows the strength of its "light factory". The high-end model is equipped with a combination of high definition matrix LED low beam + laser high beam, which not only improves the resolution significantly, but also achieves unprecedented accuracy in lighting control. The farthest irradiation distance can be extended to 600 meters, providing safety for night driving. In terms of taillights, OLED light sources are innovatively used to support four personalized light signatures, which not only enhances the recognition, but also highlights the unique taste in the details. When the rear vehicle is detected to be within 2 meters, the taillights will automatically switch the warning light, effectively reminding the rear driver to pay attention, greatly reducing the risk of rear-end collisions when driving at low speeds.
Second, product competitiveness analysis
This time we selected the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE (hereinafter referred to as Mercedes-Benz GLE), which is a large SUV of the luxury brand and has import status with the 2024 Audi Q7 (hereinafter referred to as Audi Q7), and the 2024 Land Rover Discovery (hereinafter referred to as Land Rover Discovery) for comparison. From the price range, the entry model of the Audi Q7 is the lowest price, while the top model is the Mercedes-Benz GLE. In terms of the number of models, the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery are both 4 models, and the Mercedes-Benz GLE is 7 models. Obviously, the latter has a richer choice.
In terms of design, all three cars show the unique style of their respective brands. The Audi Q7 is particularly sporty, especially the Darth Vader version, which brings out the performance atmosphere to the fullest. The Mercedes-Benz GLE maintains its usual elegance and gravitas, in line with the positioning of the luxury brand. Land Rover Discovery is known for its strong off-road style, which complements its excellent off-road performance.
When it comes to the vehicle configuration level, it is not difficult to see from the comparison configuration table that although the Audi Q7 has not the strongest power parameters, its official zero-hundred acceleration score is ahead of the other two models, in line with its highway sports positioning. At the same time, in terms of comfort and convenience configuration, the Audi Q7 also performs well. It is worth mentioning that Audi’s advantages in lighting configuration are still obvious, worthy of the name of "light factory".
III. Product quality and service trend analysis
As a facelifted model, will the 2024 Audi Q7 have any hidden dangers of quality problems? In this regard, we will start with the failure problems of the Audi Q7 in the past year, and preliminarily predict the development trend of new car quality problems in the future through the comparison of failure problems.
By screening the complaint data of Audi Q7 models for nearly a year, it can be found that the fault problems are relatively scattered and there are no common problems. Further analysis shows that the new Audi Q7 is a mid-term model change rather than an annual change, and will optimize and deal with the problems of the old model. Therefore, it can be temporarily considered that the new car will not have the above problems. But the actual situation can only be determined after it is listed and used for a period of time.
With the continuous development of the automobile market in our country, the level of brand pre-sales/after-sales services and the quality of the purchase experience have gradually become important factors affecting consumers’ final purchase. Therefore, based on the big data of the car quality network, we will provide consumers with a more objective reference for purchasing models by analyzing the common service problems of brands or car series in the past year.
From the point of view of service complaints, "selling problem cars" has become a relatively common service problem complained by owners. After further analysis, it can be seen that such service problems are all from Audi Q7, Audi A6 (imported) and Audi A8 models.
In terms of measuring the word-of-mouth of after-sales services for new cars, we will analyze the responses of enterprises to complaints from owners, and objectively anticipate the word-of-mouth of after-sales services for new cars in the future. According to the data of Car Quality Network, Audi (imported) brands have responded to all complaints from owners in the past year, which shows that manufacturers attach great importance to the demands of owners.
Four, after-sales services policy and network distribution
In terms of after-sales services policy, the purchase of 2024 Audi Q7 can enjoy three years or 100,000 kilometers of vehicle quality assurance (please consult your local dealer for details).
After purchasing a vehicle, it is necessary to involve the daily maintenance of the vehicle. At this time, the number and distribution of brand dealer stores are very important, and it will even have a certain impact on whether consumers buy the brand model. According to the statistics of Car Quality Network, Audi (imported) brand currently has 652 dealer stores in China, covering 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, of which Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces have relatively large numbers of dealers.
Summarize:
As the flagship SUV of the "old" luxury brand, the new Audi Q7 has the top design, configuration and power as always. Compared with the competitors of the same luxury brand, the more affordable price is its biggest "killer". In the face of the new challenges brought by many new energy vehicles, although the cost advantage is no longer there, the aura of the Audi brand is still very attractive for consumers who buy at this price. After all, high-end SUVs can represent the taste of users to a certain extent, and in this regard, Audi still has a good foundation.
