BY TONY QUIROGA, PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEHMANN PHOTO-SYNDICATE FOR BRENDA PRIDDY & COMPANY AND THE MANUFACTURERS
Spy shots of the A7, Audi’s upcoming low-roofline sedan, continue to surface. The A7 is likely to be based on the next-generation A6 architecture, which itself will be a lengthened and modified version of the current A4/A5 platform. Judging from the name, the four-seat A7 should slot into the Audi lineup above the A6 and below the A8 and will likely occupy the $50,000-to-$70,000 price range. The grainy new snaps seen here clearly show the A7’s bulbous rear end, which hides a hatchback configuration, a body style that resembles the recently revealed—and not beautiful—Porsche Panamera.
In the U.S. we’re expecting that base A7s will be powered by the A6’s recently introduced 300-hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V-6; V-8 engines are almost a certainty but we don’t yet know if the V-8 will be the A6’s direct-injection 350-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 or the R8’s 420-hp, 4.2-liter V-8. Transmission choices will be a six-speed automatic, a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual, and an eight-speed automatic that will likely be reserved for the V-8 model.
After the launch of the regular-grade models, the sportier and more powerful S7 will debut, powered by the S6’s 5.2-liter V-10 with upwards of 435 hp under the hood. An ultra-powerful RS7 is a possibility, although it, like the current RS6 sedan and wagon, may be deemed too expensive and too niche-y for the North American market.
Audi usually shows a thinly disguised concept version before showing the final production car, and we expect such a concept of the A7 to debut in early 2009 at the Detroit auto show, with the production version appearing perhaps as early as the Geneva auto show in the spring.
Spy shots of the A7, Audi’s upcoming low-roofline sedan, continue to surface. The A7 is likely to be based on the next-generation A6 architecture, which itself will be a lengthened and modified version of the current A4/A5 platform. Judging from the name, the four-seat A7 should slot into the Audi lineup above the A6 and below the A8 and will likely occupy the $50,000-to-$70,000 price range. The grainy new snaps seen here clearly show the A7’s bulbous rear end, which hides a hatchback configuration, a body style that resembles the recently revealed—and not beautiful—Porsche Panamera.
In the U.S. we’re expecting that base A7s will be powered by the A6’s recently introduced 300-hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V-6; V-8 engines are almost a certainty but we don’t yet know if the V-8 will be the A6’s direct-injection 350-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 or the R8’s 420-hp, 4.2-liter V-8. Transmission choices will be a six-speed automatic, a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual, and an eight-speed automatic that will likely be reserved for the V-8 model.
After the launch of the regular-grade models, the sportier and more powerful S7 will debut, powered by the S6’s 5.2-liter V-10 with upwards of 435 hp under the hood. An ultra-powerful RS7 is a possibility, although it, like the current RS6 sedan and wagon, may be deemed too expensive and too niche-y for the North American market.
Audi usually shows a thinly disguised concept version before showing the final production car, and we expect such a concept of the A7 to debut in early 2009 at the Detroit auto show, with the production version appearing perhaps as early as the Geneva auto show in the spring.
