Audi
Images of Audi A7 Sportback S-Line leaked along with details
It has only been a couple of days after the official reveal of the Audi A7 Sportback and images of the sportier S-Line variant have been leaked onto the Internet. Two packages will be available for the 5-door coupe where the first of the two includes new 19-inch wheels (optional are 20-inch wheels) and a tuned-up suspension which lowers the car by 10mm while a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Alcantara seats and different trim options make up the interior updates.
The other S-Line package adds on an aggressive body kit. It is made up by a new front bumper and front spoiler, a diffuser insert as well as redesigned side sills. The rear end is further touched-up with chrome exhaust tips. You can click here to view more images of the Audi A7 Sportback S-Line.
2011 Audi A7 Sportback debuts in Munich!
It’s official! Audi has finally launched the all-new A7 Sportback at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich. The A7 Sportback which is described by Audi as a “large, elegant 5-door model combined with the emotional character of a grand coupe, the comfort and prestige of a sedan and the active practicability of a station wagon” (now that’s a mouth full) will make it’s European showroom debut this fall with a base price of €51,650.
Audi’s iteration of the Mercedes-Benz CLS has a front end that speaks the company’s latest design language and a slopping roof line. The roof line ends with a rear hatch that opens to a 535-liter luggage space. This figure can be increased to 1,390 liters by folding down the rear backrests. The A7 Sportback measures 4.97 meters long, 1,91 meters wide and 1.42 meters high and it comes with bi-xenon headlights and LED taillights as standard. There is also an LED headlight package, which is optional surprisingly.
The exterior design seems acceptable to me but I would complement it more if it weren’t for an off-putting rear end design. It has slight hints of the BMW 5-Series GT which isn’t really a good thing. Its like the design flow starting from the front ends abruptly. Lets move on to something that we can actually praise the A7 Sportback for: it’s interior. The interior reminds me of the latest generation Audi A8 which in this case, is definitely a good thing. Wood trim can be seen at all the right places and everything looks nicely proportioned.
Among others the A7 Sportback’s interior sports Audi’s MMI operating system which is used to control various functions of the vehicle as well as an Internet connectivity system, developed with Google. Connection is made via a Bluetooth car phone and a UMTS connection and the system also allows images and information from Google Earth to be displayed along with the navigation route. Other devices can connect to the system through a wireless LAN hotspot. There is also a rather cool touchpad input system that allows the driver to use his or her finger to write letters or numbers, among others.
Optionally available is an ambient lighting system, climate-control and massage functions, a heads-up display and more. Major convenience-related and safety features are made up by a new park assist system which is pretty much a self-park system for parallel parking and Audi active lane assist which is self-explanatory. Audi also says that the navigation system can work with many optional features and the system can forward the route data to the control units for the headlights, the automatic transmission and the adaptive cruise control with stop and go function to recognize complex scenarios, which Audi claims, can help reduce the severity of accidents.
The Audi A7 Sportback comes with four engine options but not much details were released. The press release only mentions that the engines range between 204hp and 300hp. It also said that the 204hp power figure is provided by a 3.0 liter TDI which consumes 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers, averagely. The company also confirmed that all engines feature Audi’s thermal management system, a recuperation system (possibility a brake energy regeneration) and an engine start-stop system.
Two transmission options are available including Audi’s multitronic continuously variable transmission which is available with front-wheel models and the S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox for quattro models. Speaking about the quattro all-wheel-drive system, Audi says that the latest iteration of the system features a crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring.
Also available as an option is a sports differential and the A7 Sportback comes standard with light-weight control arms as well as a new electromechanical power steering system. There is also an adaptive air suspension system which is optional. You can continue reading to view an image gallery as well as to watch a video of the Audi A7 Sportback. Read the rest of this entry.
Audi A7 Sportback: Images leaked ahead of debut!
The all-new Audi A7 Sportback is set to make it’s debut shortly at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich. However images of the Mercedes CLS fighter have been released prematurely and they indicate a vehicle that looks pretty much like the concept it is based upon, the Audi Sportback Concept which was released last year at the Detroit Motor Show.
The leaked images are only limited to four and they only show us the interior (front cabin only), as well as the front fascia and the side profile. The front end carries Audi’s current design language while the rear features a slopping roof line. It looks like the A7 Sportback has a tailgate while it’s interior looks pretty good. While we wait for the official reveal which should include more images, continue reading to check out the leaked ones. Read the rest of this entry.
Audi to officially launch A7 Sportback on July 26th
Audi has announced that it will officially unveil the all-new A7 Sportback on July 26th 2010 at the Pinakothek der Moderne München modern art museum located in Munich, Germany. The announcement comes after the launch of a Dutch micro site for the new vehicle.
As mentioned, the A7 Sportback is the production version of the Audi Sportback Concept that was shown to the world at the Detroit Motor Show. We don’t have any details of the vehicle but the concept featured a 4-door coupe-ish styling and under the hood was a 3.0 liter TDI V6 with 225hp and 550Nm of torque.
However we can tell that the A7 Sportback will retain the 4 doors and a coupe roofline, thanks to an outline image featured on the micro site (pictured above). It is also likely to share it’s mechanical components with the next Audi A6. The launch in Munich will be shown live at Audi.tv while it’s motor show debut is set to take place at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Continue reading to watch a 23 second-long video of the announcement. Read the rest of this entry.
Audi teases the A7 Sportback on a dedicated site
In January 2009 Audi revealed the Sportback Concept at the Detroit Motor Show. It was a 4-door vehicle with a very noticeable slopping roof line. It featured a 3.0 liter TDI V6 with 225hp and 550Nm of torque. Now after more than a year, Audi will soon unveil a production vehicle that uses the concept as inspiration.
Yes as the title suggests we are talking about the all-new A7 and Audi has already launched a teaser site of it. The teaser site is in Dutch and is part of The Netherlands’ Audi division. The site doesn’t reveal much at the moment and we can’t see a countdown timer as well. It only confirms that the Audi A7 is based on the Sportback Concept and there is an outline of the A7 which appears to be rotating.
It seems that the outline image points to a BMW X6-like design with a slightly higher ground clearance. In fact the side profile looks very much like the X6. The slopping roof line is maintained and the front end features Audi A1-like headlights and a huge grille.
More information should be revealed soon, stay tuned!
Production of Audi’s M5-fighting RS6 to end soon
Word has it that Audi will end the production of the super quick RS6 at the end of this year’s third quarter. The RS6 is based on the A6 and joins rivals including the M5 from BMW and Mercedes’s AMG E-Class as a high-performance mid-sized sedan vehicle. It has a 5.0 liter V10 with twin turbos and the engine produces 571hp and 650Nm of torque.
The new A6 is likely to be launched sometime next year and an RS6 variant should arrive a couple of years later. Apparently Audi will most probably park a twin-turbo V8 capable of producing up to 600hp in the RS6′s engine bay. In a related news, BMW also ended the production of the 509hp E60 M5 to make way for the F10 M5.
Audi S5 Sportback hit the Singaporean market
Following its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Audi S5 Sportback is now available in the Singaporean market, joining the A5 Sportback. This more potent Sportback is powered by a supercharged 3.0 liter FSI V6 which cranks out 333hp and 440Nm of pulling power available between 2,900 and 5,300 rpm. This engine is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission and power is sent to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro all wheel drive system.
The quattro drive system is configured with a slight rear wheel bias and optionally available is a sport differential. This high performance differential transfers the forces at the rear axle between the wheels as needed for higher stability. The S5 Sportback is able to hit the century mark in a respectable 5.4 seconds and continues till it reaches a governed top speed of 250km/h. It offers a fuel consumption figure of 9.7 liters per 100 kilometers.
Being an S model its no surprise that this model comes with a sport-tuned chassis. Along with it are 5-spoke 19-inch wheels shod with 255/35 tires. Buyers can can also opt for 20-inch wheels. Colour options available for the interior include black, brown and three two-color combinations. The inlays are available in stainless steel mesh, carbon and fine-grained birch wood.
The Audi S5 Sportback will set you back S$259,950.00 which is inclusive of COE. In comparison the high-spec A5 Sportback with a 265hp/330Nm 3.2 liter engine and quattro all wheel drive goes for S$201,800. An image gallery can be found after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Audi replacing 6-speed transmission with 8-speed for most models in the US
Autoweek has reported that Audi will replace its 6-speed transmission with its 8-speed unit in most models sold in the US. It claims that up to 70% of Audis sold in the US will use the transmission.
Models that will be offered with the 8-speed include the 2.0 liter A4 sedan and wagon, 2.0 liter A5 coupe and cabriolet, 2.0 liter Q5, the entire range of the Q7 lineup as well as both the A8 and A8L models that are fitted with the 4.2 liter V8.
Other models such as the 2.0 liter A3 will feature either the dual-clutch transmission or the snappy 6-speed gearbox. The 2.0 liter TT will maintain the dual-clutch while the front wheel drive 2.0 liter A4s and A5 cabriolet will use the continuously variable transmission or CVT.
The 3.0 liter S4 will get either the dual-clutch or the 6-speed manual while the V8 S5 will be offered with either a Tiptronic or a six-speed manual. The S5 cabriolet will receive the dual-clutch unit. The A6 models will get either the CVT or Tipronic while the S6 and the 3.2 liter Q5 will likely get the latter.
Both R8 models (V8 and V10) will be offered with either the sequential R-tronic or the company’s 6-speed manual. The article also stated that Audi plans to introduce its 2011 model year versions of the cars above by fall.
