L.A. Auto Show: Audi moves into luxury four-door coupe market with A7 Sportback
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Given the global ambitions of Audi (and, indeed, parent company Volkswagen) it should come as no surprise that Audi is entering the luxury four-door coupe market.
Going on sale in the spring of 2011, the new A7 Sportback shares a platform with the next iteration of the A6 sedan. The initial powertrain will be a supercharged V-6 engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Horsepower is said to be in the 310 range.
If the V-6 is too dainty for your liking, stay tuned. Expect additional engines to end up in the A7’s bay in the future, including an S7 variant with a power output in the range of unholy.
Aesthetically, the A7 will likely draw conflicting opinions. The rear of the car is perhaps a bit too loyal to the hatchback design than a faux coupe (foop?), noticable when viewing the A7 from the side. This gives the rear end a heavy look.
Meanwhile, the front wisely reflects the Audi A8’s nose and headlights, a trait likely appreciated by A7 buyers who don’t want to pay A8 money.
The A7 will target the protean class of four-door coupes that includes Mercedes Benz CLS, Porsche Panamera and the BMW 5-Series GT.
Pricing has not been announced, but expect it to to start north of $60,000.
MORE L.A. AUTO SHOW
Ford’s Facebook competition -- your name on a performance Mustang
2011 Hyundai Elantra moves in a larger direction
2012 Buick LaCrosse is hybrid-lite
-- David Undercoffler
