Paris show: Audi teases next-gen Q5

AUDI has released the first teaser image of its new Q5 mid-size SUV ahead of its full reveal at the Paris motor show on September 29.

The image shows a single tail-light of the new model with the Q5 badge, accompanied with the hashtag ‘Qriosity’ and a countdown timer to when the car will be fully revealed.

The tail-light has a more angular, squared-off design than the the rounded look of the taillights of the current model that has been on the Australian market since 2009.

Audi has also revealed that the new Q5 will be compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, showing a video of a young girl biting into an apple followed by a set of keys with the Android mascot keychain.

No information has been released yet on powertrains for the new Q5, but if the recently-announced next-gen A5 and A5 Sportback are anything to go by, the Q5 will receive updated versions of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 3.0-litre V6 engines that power the current range.

The new model can’t come soon enough for Audi, as the Q5 is now the oldest offering in its class – behind the BMW X3 that was launched in March 2011 before receiving an update in 2014.

It is well behind the Mercedes-Benz GLC that was launched in December 2015, as well as the Lexus RX (November 2015) and Porsche Macan (February 2014).

This year, Q5 has drawn 2214 buyers to the end of August, a 17 per cent dip on the same period last year.

It trails the GLC (3290 sales) and X3 (2687) in the 2016 sales race, but still sits above the Macan (1580) and RX (1347).

More details on the new Q5 will emerge closer to the start of the Paris show.