Audi reveals the all new A7

The A7 Sportback is a fastback, four-door coupe and is the Ingolstadt carmaker's rival to the Mercedes-Benz CLS and BMW 5-Series GT. Audi describes the car as a combination of elegant coupe, sport sedan and practical wagon.

The A7's lightweight body is made from aluminium, as well as high-tech steels, and four V6 engines will be offered for the car initially, with two petrol and two diesel units. V8 engines are expected to be added to the range at a later date.

The chassis of the A7 comes with aluminium control arms and a highly-efficient electromechanical power steering. A drive select system is standard but the adaptive air suspension with controlled damping will be offered only as an option. Other options include LED headlights while bi-xenon LED taillights are standard. The car will also come with a choice of wheels ranging from 18 to 20-inch in sizes.

Audi has only revealed limited details of the engines it will offer for the A7, with the only one confirmed being the 3.0-litre TDI that produces 204bhp. Audi says the top engine will produce 300bhp, but has not disclosed whether it will be a petrol or diesel. Possible V6 engines in Audi's range include a 3.0-litre V6 petrol that produces 272bhp, and another 3.0-litre TDI which has 253bhp, both of which could be fitted into the A7.

All of the engines will be mated to automatic transmissions, with either the Multitronic for front-wheel-drive variants or the seven-speed S-tronic for the Quattro models. The new Quattro system comes with torque vectoring technology and a crown-gear centre differential, and can transfer up to 70 percent of torque to the front wheels or as much as 85 percent to the rear, if necessary. The standard power transfer ratio is 40:60 with a slight rear bias for sportiness. All versions of the new A7 will come with thermal management, energy recuperation and stop-start systems to improve fuel-economy.