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The new Audi A7 Sportback actually looks... new https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/new-audi-a7-sportback-actually-looks-new The most amazing part of the new Audi A7 Sportback – a car not short of ‘you’re kidding, can it really?’ features - is that you can actually tell it’s new. Check out that craggy 3D lightsaber stretching across the low-lying hatchback’s tapered rump. That’s almost controversial. Now move forward. Take in the rest of the new A7. It’s based on the A8 and Q7’s building blocks, but gives us a good idea what the next A6 will look like. The LEDs illuminate in animated flourishes when the car’s unlocked. There are slashes in the flanks, and a wider, flatter grille than George Foreman’s family barbeque. This is an Audi you might notice, even when it isn’t chasing you down a motorway at a distance measurable only with an electron microscope. Not a moment too soon, either. Audi’s design boss, Mark Lichte, has previously admitted to Top Gear that the old Russian-doll uniform approach was fine when Audi was an underdog, but now it’s up there with BMW and Mercedes. Same again design won’t really do, because people have short attention spans. These cars need to be prouder of the numerous technovations squeezed under the finely creased skin. And the A7 has - technical term here - oodles. Based on the same underpinnings as the latest A8 limo and sharing much of its stunning touchscreen cockpit, the A7 has many of the same superpowers. It’ll be able to remotely park itself without you on board, and drive itself in traffic when its ‘level-three’ autonomy comes on stream in 2018. Its on-board 48-volt electrical system also means the engine can switch off at coast, while kinetic energy is harvested as you slow down. When it goes on sale in February 2018, however, the eyes-off-the-road self-drive abilities won’t be available, and neither will they be downloadable via over-the-air updates. Why? Because Audi bullishly tells Top Gear that “our customers aren’t guinea pigs”. Ten internet points to anyone who guesses which carmaker that’s a thinly disguised swipe at… For the longer, more capacious A7 Sportback Mk2 (there’s more knee and headroom inside, but the thing is almost five metres long and two metres wide as a result), Audi’s headline act isn’t suspension that predicts the bumps ahead (a trick saved for new A8s), but instead, its most computerised steering system yet.

Test drive, interior, exterior, speed, road, technology, multimedia, 2015i Luxuruy Sedan, Sportback, Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z7yOLU7zq4

Many would have heard or read about Google's self-driving vehicles and they were the first to get a permit from the state of Nevada to test autonomous vehicles on public roads. Now it is Audi's turn to be granted a licence by the state of Nevada. The licence allows Audi to operate an autonomous vehicle on public roads. This is the third such licence issued out to companies that wishes to test autonomous vehicles on public roads. The second licence was issued out to tyre manufacturer, Continental late last year. This makes Audi, the first auto manufacturer to be issued out with such licence. Many might not know this but Audi has dabbled in autonomous vehicle technology before this. Audi teamed up with Stanford University and Volkswagen Group

[extract] Mercedes CLS

Audi announced that the A7 model has been selected by the Motor Press Guild (MPG) to receive the first-ever Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year (VOTY) Award. MPG is the largest automotive media association in North America. MPG President, Laura Burstein, will present the trophy at Audi's press conference on the first day of the Los Angeles Auto Show press days on Nov. 16. "It was a close contest, but the 2012 Audi A7 managed to edge out the competition with its compelling combination of handsome styling, dynamic handling and advanced in-car technology," said Laura Burstein, MPG President. "In this highly competitive market, it's hard to be a standout, but Audi did it with the A7. Likewise, we congratulate all of our finalists on bringing solid, efficient and good-looking vehicles to the market that are fun to drive." The A7 is the first car in the world to feature factory-installed Wi-Fi with Audi connect

Less than a month after ABT announced its plans to unveil its tuning take on the new Audi A7 at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group specialist has shared the first photos and details on its available packages. ABT Sportsline offers a variety of power kits for the A7's range of engines. Starting with the 3.0-litre V6 TDI, power is tweaked from 245bhp to 282bhp while a second stage kit that utilises an in-house turbo charger can boost the TDI's output to 310bhp with an accompanying 610Nm of peak torque. For the gasoline lineup, ABT's offering is limited to the 3.0-litre supercharged V6, which gets a jump in output from 300bhp to 410bhp. External cosmetic upgrades include a front apron along with discreet side skirts and a rear apron that makes space for a new set of rectangular-shaped quad tail pipes. The luxury fastback's stance can be further enhanced with a lowering kit and a choice of alloy wheels ranging from 19 to 21 inches.

The first official images of the all new Audi A7 Sportback are making the internet rounds today ahead of the sport saloon's debut on Monday. These photos prove that the production car has stayed remarkably true to the 2009 Detroit Show concept's appearance. In a similar fashion, the styling of the interior is almost identical to the concept, except for the colors and the decorative trim. The just-under 5-meters long A7 Sportback will be strictly for four passengers. Mechanically, the A5 Sportback's big brother is heavily based on the next generation A6 and will be offered with both diesel and gasoline V6 engines including the new 3.0-liter TSI unit with some 290-horsepower. It goes without saying that the A7 Sportback will be available with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system and S-tronic dual clutch transmissions. Expect to see performance-oriented S7 and RS7 variants, as well as a hybrid model being added to the range within the next year or so. The A7 Sportback will slot between the A6 and A8 executive saloons with its main competitors being the new Mercedes-Benz CLS and the production version of the BMW Gran Coupe.