Audi vs Defender and Denza! Body-on-frame 4WD model “in the framework”, says global CEO

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Audi chief executive officer Gernot Döllner is on a mission to reinvigorate the four-ringed brand’s ability to compete, and his plans include pushing the premium Volkswagen Group marque into exotic new segments.

Speaking with Chasing Cars, Döllner said the brand was considering a rugged, body-on-frame four-wheel-drive model as part of the radical transformation plan.

Chasing Cars artists have imagined a production version of the Audi off-roader.

Possibly called the Q Extreme, the 4WD would wear the ‘Radical Simplicity’ design language Audi will introduce in 2027 with a production version of the Concept C sports car. 

CEO says Audi brand can support an off-road model

“Almost every segment is thinkable for the Audi brand,” said Döllner.

“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, which shows how strong that brand is.”

An interesting quirk of Döllner, a platforms expert who managed the Porsche 718 hypercar project, is that he quite likes to be interviewed while the journalist drives one of his creations.

Our discussion about an Audi off-roader took place on a twisting route in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, close to where Audi campaigned the RS Q e-tron in 2023’s Rallye du Maroc.

Audi requires a pre-existing platform, and Scout Motors has one

Döllner is a car enthusiast but he is known for rational product planning decisions that make use of pre-existing platforms, slashing development time and costs for the brand.

The only modern ladder-frame platform within the Volkswagen Group at present is the electrified 4WD chassis developed by Scout Motors in North America.

Using this platform would give Audi a rival to high-margin 4WDs such as the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus GX and Mercedes-Benz G-Class, as well as Chinese newcomers such as the Denza B8.

So, would the Scout platform be the basis of a rugged Audi off-road model?

“If we would do something like [the ladder-frame 4WD], it is only thinkable to do it on a platform that is already there,” Döllner agreed.

“All I can say is that of course Volkswagen Group has huge opportunities for many brands, especially for Audi as we, as I said, are able to act in so many segments.”

Pushed on the status of a possible 4WD project, Döllner provided us with only hints.

“Yes, of course — we are thinking about something like that, but no decision has been taken yet, but it is definitely in the framework that we are thinking about.”

Authenticity key to competing in the segment

Scout Motors is preparing to launch two American-built models — the Traveler wagon-bodied SUV, and the Terra pick-up — in the US in late 2027.

At the heart of the Traveler and Terra is a brand-new ladder frame with electrified front and rear axles. 

The Scout pair is fully electric by default with around 550km range.

However, a ‘Harvester’ range-extender hybrid powertrain will also be available, stretching total range to about 800km. 

Claimed capabilities are considerable. Scout says the off-roaders will be capable of towing up to 4500kg in BEV form, though the range-extender slashes this to just 2270kg.

Ground clearance is said to be more than 300mm with wading depth of around 900mm.

Döllner stressed that serious capability would be a pre-requisite for entering the segment.

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