Audi says the new Q9 SUV is the first production car to use a three-dimensionally curved digital OLED panel. The part uses the third generation of the company’s digital OLED technology. Audi says it opens up new options for safety and for communicating with other road users.

An industry first, according to Audi

Audi made the announcement from its Ingolstadt headquarters on 23 October 2026. It says the Q9 is where this lighting technology goes into production for the first time. According to the manufacturer, no carmaker has fitted a three-dimensionally curved digital OLED panel to a production vehicle before.

Earlier OLED panels in cars have been flat. A panel curved in three dimensions gives designers more freedom in how the lights are shaped and placed on the body. Audi has not yet said exactly where the panel sits on the Q9 or how it is divided into segments.

Third-generation digital OLED

The panel uses the third generation of Audi’s digital OLED technology. The company says this generation brings new possibilities for safety and communication. Digital OLED lights are built from individually controlled segments, so they can show different patterns and signals instead of just glowing at a fixed level. Audi has not yet published which specific functions the Q9’s panel offers.

Ten years of OLED at Audi

Audi calls the Q9 a milestone for its lighting department. The brand’s work with OLED began ten years ago. Audi describes itself as the only carmaker that has kept developing OLED technology without a break. It says OLED has grown from a novel light source into an intelligent, digital way of communicating.

Lighting has become a key way for premium brands to stand out in design and technology. Audi has made OLED and digital light signatures a central part of that effort across its range. With the curved panel, the flagship Q9 now leads the brand’s lighting technology.

Facts: Audi Q9

  • Lighting: three-dimensionally curved digital OLED panel, third generation
  • Quoted variant: Audi Q9 SUV TDI quattro, 220 kW
  • Fuel consumption (combined, WLTP): 8.0–7.4 l/100 km
  • CO₂ emissions (combined, WLTP): 209–194 g/km
  • CO₂ class: G

Audi has not yet confirmed pricing or market launch dates for the Q9.

Source: www.audi.com