Skip advert
Advertisement

CES 2015: New Audi Q7 SUV’s cabin is revealed in Las Vegas

Audi reveals next-generation MMI control interface on new Q7 dashboard at the CES 2015 show

Audi Q7 dash at CES

The new Audi Q7 will be getting its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show next week, but Audi gave visitors to the CES technology show in Las Vegas a sneak preview of the new SUV’s interior, including a revamp for its MMI infotainment control system.

Audi appears to have stepped up the interior quality another notch with a beautifully crafted dash featuring wood, metal and leather. The virtual cockpit from the TT with its 12.3-inch TFT screen sits inside the main binnacle, while a central monitor rises out of the dash when the car’s started. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

• Best 4x4s and SUVs to buy now

Sitting in front of a wide, stubby gear selector is the new MMI controller. The familiar circular wheel is there, but eight programmable fast keys have been added, which can be set for navigation destinations, radio stations or phone numbers.

The familiar touchpad has grown in size and features haptic feedback for every command – a click that can be heard and felt through the finger. The touchpad’s software will also react quicker to make suggestions based on the first numbers or letters drawn out, although with two thirds of the population right-handed, it’s still better suited to more drivers of left-hand-drive models than right-hand drive. 

Detroit Motor Show 2015: preview

The whole system is complemented by new voice activation software that enables the driver to use natural speech to control the navigation and infotainment system, however. It’ll react to simple commands like ‘take me to the nearest fuel station’ or ‘phone the office’, while when connected with Audi’s online Connect services it’ll also provide weather updates or fuel prices.

The new seven-seat, diesel-only Q7 arrives in the UK in the spring with prices expected to start at around £45,000. A plug-in hybrid version will appear later, and could even debut Audi’s wireless charging technology.

More stories on future car tech from the 2015 CES show...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Editor-in-chief

Steve Fowler has been editor-in-chief of Auto Express since 2011 and is responsible for all editorial content across the website and magazine. He has previously edited What Car?, Autocar and What Hi-Fi? and has been writing about cars for the best part of 30 years. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024
Volkswagen ChatGPT to gain ‘level 2’ software update later this year
Steve Fowler in the Volkswagen Golf facelift at CES
News

Volkswagen ChatGPT to gain ‘level 2’ software update later this year

A ‘two-way conversation’ will soon be possible with your new Volkswagen
21 Feb 2024
Audi Q7 updated again for 2024, with big SUV introducing new styling and tech
Audi Q7 facelift - front action
News

Audi Q7 updated again for 2024, with big SUV introducing new styling and tech

More small changes are in-bound for Audi’s high-selling seven-seat Q7 SUV
30 Jan 2024
New 2025 Audi Q7: third-generation luxury SUV spied for the first time
Audi Q7 Mk3 (camouflaged) - front tracking
News

New 2025 Audi Q7: third-generation luxury SUV spied for the first time

Audi has started testing the next Q7 before the current model’s 2024 update
15 Jan 2024

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars can expect to be paying roughly £10 more per year, a although the biggest gas guzzlers will fare the worst
26 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024