New Audi A7 Sportback teased ahead of full reveal

Khodrocar - Audi has released a teaser for the next-generation A7 Sportback, confirming that its new Porsche Panamera rival will be revealed in full on Thursday 19 October.

With confirmation of the car’s debut scheduled for later this week, Audi isn’t willing to reveal any more information just yet. It’s our first official scrap of information regarding the car from the German marque, but we’ve already seen much of its design, albeit on a much smaller scale.

The images may not be of the actual production car but the scale model gives us a very good idea of how the car is shaping up. The front-end design is heavily inspired by the all-new A8 saloon, dominated by the chrome grille and embossed bonnet.

Overall it’s a rather conservative look but the plunging roofline adds some drama towards the rear, where the roof beings to fall away just beyond the b-pillar. There’s also a whiff of Audi’s Prologue concept in the overall shape. 

Prototypes undergoing testing have also shown us how the rear of the car will look; a new taillight design at the back is shared with the new A8 with along LED strip spanning the width of the bootlid. We expect the covers to come fully off later this year, but the A7 won’t go on sale until 2018. 

It’s expected that the A7 will sit on the new MLB Evo platform, shared with the Q7 SUV, so we should also see improvements to economy and performance. The platform is designed to save weight, so expect some improvements over the previous car in terms of efficiency, handling and performance. For comparison, the previous 215bhp 3.0-litre TDI Ultra model returned 58.9mpg and 124g/km of CO2.

While the A7 engine range is expected to consist of large V6 and V8 engines, both petrol and diesel, test mules have been out and about which don’t show any visible exhaust pipes - that's either an unusual design choice for Audi, or an indication that an electric or plug-in hybrid version is on the cards.

The new model will retain the practical five-door body style, though, which features a large hatchback opening to allow easy access to the boot. Expect the flowing roofline to cut into boot space compared to a saloon like the Audi A6, though. The interior will be overhauled too, with Audi's Virtual Cockpit system making an appearance.