When Audi launched the third-generation Q7 yesterday, there was a huge discrepancy in the engine offerings between the European and North American versions. On the Old Continent, customers don’t get to choose because the luxury SUV is available at launch exclusively with a turbodiesel 3.0-liter V6 featuring mild-hybrid technology. In the United States, the Mercedes GLE rival comes with twin-turbo V6 and V8 engines.
We were just as surprised as you (probably) were to see Europe’s Q7 limited to a single engine, a diesel one at that. Diesel is on its last legs on the continent, having fallen dramatically from its popularity peak in the mid-2010s, when it represented more than half of all new car sales. Through the first four months of the year, diesel accounted for 6.7 percent of total registrations.
