Audi showed off a completely new model, the A7 Sportback. This vehicle slots in between the A6 and A8 sedans. Unlike those cars, the A7 uses a fastback design, making it look like a cross between a coupe and a station wagon.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Audi's new A7 Sportback has more in common with its A8 sedan than the A6. The A7 Sportback will be available with the same high-tech features as the A8, including LED headlights. Audi is also pioneering a system that feeds GPS data about the road ahead to the headlights, transmission, and cruise control. These systems then use the data to respond to the terrain.
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Audi says that the A7 will offer four engine choices, two running on gasoline and two and two on diesel. All will be V-6es. These engines will range in output from 204 to 300 horsepower. Engine choices will most likely be more limited in the U.S.
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The design of the A7 is similar to offerings from some other luxury car makers, such as the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. The basic idea of the A7 is to offer sedan comfort and hatchback practicality.
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Not only is the cargo area that is afforded by the rear hatch ample, but the rear seats can also fold down.
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As a top luxury car, the cabin is lined with wood, leather, and metal. Front-wheel-drive A7s will come with a standard automatic transmission. A version with Quattro all-wheel-drive gets Audi's dual clutch S-Tronic transmission.
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The cabin tech roster for the A7 is impressive. Navigation is standard, and is designed to receive external data. Along with Audi's standard MMI controller, a touch pad lets the driver trace letters for system inputs. A Bang & Olufsen 1,300-watt 15-speaker audio system is available. And the car gets automated parallel parking.
