Audi A7 concept to debut in Detroit

Audi / A7 coupe sketch

Beautiful four-door with more beautiful engine choices

By Zack Newmark
December 15, 2008 5:06 PM
Filed Under: Audi, Detroit Auto Show, German

Audi has decided to go gangbusters at the Detroit Auto Show, with the car company planning to debut the Audi A7 concept on their stage there. This comes in addition to the official release of the 2010 Audi R8 V10, which will also premiere in the Motor City.

So far, all we've seen of the A7 concept are official sketches (seen above) distributed by the German automaker. The new A7, believed to be available from 2009 as a 2010 model, will have the choice of a 204 horsepower 2.8 liter engine, a supercharged 300 hp 3.0, and a 4.2-liter V8 pumping out nearly 400 hp. Audi has previously announced an A7 RS with a 600 hp twin-turbo 5.2 liter V10.

This last engine being more powerful than the V10 expected to be on the new 2010 R8.

Early talk has brought rumors of three different transmission systems. A six-speed manual, dual-clutch seven-speed DSG, and seven-speed automatic are expected to be offered.

Audi may be planning on marketing this car as the new flagship model for the franchise. It should get better weight distribution, and a new suspension system to smoothen out the bumps. There is also speculation of a hybrid version.

The Audi A7 concept is believed to have the same flowing lines as the production model will get. A four-door sedan, this car is one of the most anticipated vehicles so far announced for Detroit.

Source: freep.com via autoblog.it

Comments

nendor
December 15, 2008 5:10 PM
lets so the CLS competitor

Asger
December 15, 2008 5:16 PM
I'm excited that we FINALLY get to see something of this project after years of hearing about it.

Motor_Yakuza
December 15, 2008 5:20 PM
Ok, we have two concepts 4 Detroit, with a bit of luck we might have 5 or 6, yay NAIAS will still survive :P

deltaboxx
December 15, 2008 5:20 PM
Just looks like an extended A5. Is Audi having the Porsche symptoms of lack in creativity? And this is even the concept! It's nice but we have seen it before..

Michael-Heinrich
December 15, 2008 6:00 PM
To the comment about "looks like an extended A5", the first and third images were indeed titled as the rumored A5 SportBack on this website not so long ago.

I believe the A7 will be creative, in addition, there is a spy photo on the site of www.auto-motor-und-sport.de.

RussianMafia
December 15, 2008 5:31 PM
Can't wait! I love how it looks at the back, it's not as nice from the front though. Still better than a CLS and Panamera.

indahead
December 15, 2008 5:39 PM
Again this boring AUDI design that we see in every other car...the only audi that really looks special is the R8,everything else has very similar features!The same front look,LEDs at the back etc....Isnt there anything else that u can come up with?I mean at least change the stupid grill that we've been seeing for decades now...damn your designers SUCK!

BemWee
December 15, 2008 7:18 PM
" everything else has very similar features! " It´s called Volkswagen Syndrome.

RussianMafia
December 15, 2008 8:28 PM
And they still win the design of the year award two times in a row! The humanity must be blind, only you can see clear :O

MTC
December 15, 2008 6:07 PM
It does look good, but not as good as the Rapide

davidkoulakis
December 15, 2008 6:52 PM
"I mean at least change the stupid grill that we've been seeing for decades "

erm . . . single frame grill debuted on the 2004/5 A8 W12. . . so by my maths thats maximum of 4 years ago and last time I checked a decade is 10 yrs. . .

Uptohere
December 15, 2008 8:27 PM
I'm curious to see how conservative they will play it. Here is a chance to create a very distinguishable and elegant car. Hopefully they won't adopt too much design language from existing models. Can't wait to see it! Will be interesting to comapre it to the Merc.

vilivo
December 15, 2008 11:49 PM
Hmm, THATs a cheat- been talking about it for ages now, then they released the 4 door lambo concept, and now we will see it with its Audi skin- sharpen those drawings a bit around the lights, and put a lambo shaped nose and... you see... I guess VW might be taking the seat-VW-Audi platform sharing to a new height.(a polo-sized bentley next?!?)At least it wont look like, erm, the R8?!?

pscs
December 16, 2008 5:25 AM
it's........ sooo...... beautiful......

FreudeClub
December 16, 2008 9:49 AM
Are you nuts? what is beautiful? Just because it is an Audi, you cannot say that it's beautiful. Just by looking at that drawings with the car in abstract, you say it's beautiful?

To me, the front is the same damn boring design, car is a bit stretched, but please, can they ever design something amazing??? The most rediculous thing is that their own designers are going around saying taht the a5 is the most beautiful thing they've ever designed! PLEASE, Chris Bangle and other designers for taht matter also thinks that their designs arethe most beautiful..... Those Audi designers are so full of themselves that they put these stupid comments on Audi TV! It's OK to explain the inspiration behind your design, but don't go and flatter yourself with saying it is the most beuatiful you've ever done, just makes you look stupid because to me the A5 is weak.

The new Z4 is something remarkable though, anyway, back to the A7. Design aside, brand aside, do you really think it will be a success? It is not really a segment of sporty car and Audi has changed their strategy to copy that of BMW to make more sporty and better handling cars... They should rather concentrate on making a worthy sporty competitor to the 1 Series Coupe - that's what I expect from Audi.

The problem is that the A7 would be an old man's car, just like the CLS. Audi is once agin trying to be everything, but best at nothing, eventualy they will destroy their brand image so much that they are just nothing, which would be a pity

Michael-Heinrich
December 16, 2008 11:40 AM
The current generation A3 debuted in Geneva 2003, and as you expected, the newer generation will not be far away. Possibly a 2010 debut as a 2011 model, I guess.

The design of the latest Z4 is fantastic, and the current M3, A4/S4/S5 are also worth noting. It's really a pleasure to see brands competing to each other.

RS5
December 16, 2008 10:31 PM
Hey Freudeyboy back again after you got banned for your idiocracy. I think the car looks beautiful from the rendering and that's my opinion, not something for you to judge. And for your comment with the 'segment', Mercedes created it with the CLS, no matter how sporty you think your precious BMWs are. Your logic makes no sense at all. Now I won't waste any more of my time trying to reason with an immature little boy like you.

Alftheman
December 16, 2008 10:24 AM
Mark my words, we are looking at the all new A5 Sportback! Not the A7! I've seen it in real-life!

bernardo
December 16, 2008 3:04 PM
Guys calm down...its just a sketch. As someone said, the first and third pictures, aren´t from the A7, and yes from what audi is calling A5 sportback, and they look pretty much computer rendered for me, so my bet is that audi is actually showcasing the A5 sportback in NAIAS instead of the actual A7.

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