Audi 4x4: Under consideration but not confirmed

Audi is still considering launching a rugged, ladder-frame 4x4 to sit above its current road-focussed SUV range, with CEO Gernot Dollner confirming a body-on-frame off-roader is “in the framework”. That said, he indicated the project would only proceed if it used an appropriate Volkswagen Group platform.

Dollner has dropped several hints in recent months that a direct rival to the Land Rover Defender is being considered, and he didn’t bat away the idea in a recent interview with carsales. 

“Of course, we are thinking about something like that. No decision has been taken yet… but it is definitely in the framework that we are thinking about,” he said.

The Audi boss was clear that off-roading authenticity and cost control were key hurdles for the project. Pressed on whether the forthcoming ladder-frame developed by Volkswagen Group (VAG) cousin Scout Motors was the answer, Dollner was coy.

“If we do something like that… it is only thinkable to do it on a platform that is already there,” he said.

There is no other body-on-frame platform in development at VAG, meaning the Scout body-on-frame architecture is the ready-made, pre-existing solution.

Scout’s Traveler SUV and Terra ute, revealed in the United States in 2024 and set to be built there from 2027, will have front and rear locking differentials and dual electric motors providing full-time 4x4.

The platform has been engineered to support both full battery-electric powertrains and an optional ‘Harvester’ petrol range extender (series hybrid) system.

Unlike traditional ladder-frames like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Nissan Patrol, the Scout setup is designed from the outset for substantial electrification, meaning Audi could sell a zero-emission rival from the outset.

In Australia, where the strict CO2 emissions regulations imposed by NVES laws are set to complicate the ability to launch large 4x4s, the EV/hybrid approach could make a premium off-roader easier to justify for Audi.

The Scout hardware is being prepped for hardcore off-roading, with the revived American brand claiming more than 300mm of ground clearance, a circa-900mm wading depth, braked towing of up to 4500kg in EV form, and around 900kg payload as standard.

Dollner stressed to carsales that true 4x4 credibility would be non-negotiable.

“You need a platform that is authentic in this segment, otherwise it does not make sense,” he said.

The idea of a properly rugged Audi might have seemed a step too far for the brand in days gone by, but the CEO indicated he’s ready to expand Audi’s horizons.

“The positive about the Audi brand is that almost every segment is thinkable,” he said.

“The spread from an entry, low-floor A-segment to a D-segment or an off-road car – that is all possible with the Audi brand.”

Beyond capability, there is another advantage to copying Scout’s homework: speed to market.

As we’ve reported, Audi is in the midst of overhauling product development processes to reduce time lag from concept to production from around seven years to as little as two or three.

Leveraging Scout’s largely finished platform, electrified powertrains and internal technology stack could help Audi bypass years of planning.

“To deliver in that time, you need some sort of a platform to build on,” Dollner said.

Audi’s mooted ladder-frame 4x4 remains a concept for now, but one that appears to be progressing toward the pointy end of the decision process.

The global CEO has openly articulated the parameters of a possible production version of an Audi alternative to the Defender. It’s safe to assume the topic is being closely contemplated.

If approved, the model would represent a major broadening of Audi’s SUV strategy, pushing beyond the unibody Q2-Q7 range and into a segment occupied by the Defender, Toyota LandCruiser, Lexus LX and Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

Chinese players are now circling the category too, with BYD having launched its upmarket Denza brand in Australia with two ladder-frame, hybrid-powered 4x4s.

For Australian buyers, the key questions would concern pricing, real-world range, towing, off-roading, payload capacity, and whether a Scout-based Audi would be a niche halo product or a genuine LandCruiser alternative.

* Some images have been generated by AI

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