The latest all-new third-generation Audi Q7 large SUV underwent a dramatic redesign ahead of its official launch earlier this month.
Speaking to Carsguide, a source working closely with the German car-maker confirmed that the Q7 was originally set to adopt wing grip door releases in place of conventional door handles, but that decision was reversed at the very last minute over safety concerns.
In what's thought to be an unprecedented move on a car that was believed to have already been homologated for production, the flush, power-operated wing grip or shark-fin style exterior door releases were dropped following new regulations being rolled out next year in China, with senior Audi execs expecting a similar response from European legislators.
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Attracting designers and engineers to embrace hidden, pop-out or wing grip power-operated door releases was the intense pressure to create the most aerodynamic shape possible, in a bid to maximise an EV's range, or boost efficiency.
According to reports, by deleting traditional door pulls, on average a vehicle's drag coefficient falls by up to 0.01Cd, which can equate to more than 3km of range under the European WLTP test cycle.
The smoother, cleaner, unbroken lines are also seen as another benefit by designers, but now Audi has abandoned them with wider implications for the Volkswagen Group as a whole.
Triggering the rethink has been multiple high-profile accidents that saw either occupants trapped within a car with failing door releases, or first responders struggling to gain access to a cabin in the event of an accident or fire.
From January 1, 2027, new Chinese regulations dictate that power-operated door handles will now have to include a physical release for the first time, plus a range of other measures designed to boost safety.
Since the new regs require an easily grabbable mechanical door release both inside and out, early indications hinting many Chinese brands are abandoning power-operated releases altogether, rather than adapting or evolving current designs, signalling a return to proper door handles.
With a growing debate on the safety of electronic door releases already underway in regions like Europe, it's been hotly tipped that EU regulators and crash safety body EuroNCAP are also racing to implement new measures, or roll out new legislation.
If that's not enough to put the likes of Audi off, last year the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it too was investigating Tesla's pop-out door releases over safety concerns.
A change in the rules could be costly for car-makers like Volvo who have recently gone ahead and introduced vehicles with the tech.
To help circumvent the new rules, the Swedish brand introduced a mechanical override that incorporated a physical release.
Should a crash or power failure occur, there's an internal power source that ensures the door release still operates.
As well as safety, some owners have also reported reliability issues with power-operated door handles prone to fail in icy conditions when the mechanism can freeze over.
The Audi insider did not state how much money it would cost to re-engineer the Q7 doors at such a late stage of development, but it's thought adding back conventional door handles will have cost the car-maker many millions of dollars, but will still be only a fraction of the cost of having to reintroduce them later on during the large SUV's model life.
It's thought that instead of reverting to a set of conventional door handles, the new door levers still operate via a power-operated catches, as the large BMW X5-rival adopts some Rolls-Royce-style automatic doors that swing open via a touch of a button on the key fob.