Audi Sportback Concept: 40 High-Res Photos of Detroit Show Sport Saloon

Foreshadowing the production version of the A7 sports sedan that's expected to make its arrival in late 2010 or early 2011, the Sportback Concept was unveiled at 2009 North American International Automobile Show. The large, five-door sport saloon with its coupe-like silhouette is slightly larger than the A6 measuring at 4.95 m long (16.24 ft), 1.93 m wide (6.33 ft) but only 1.40 m high (4.59 ft).

Audi says the Sportback Concept not only offers a glimpse at the Audi's future design vocabulary, but it also signals the company's determination not to limit fastback/ hatchback Sportback versions to the compact segment.

The Sportback's exterior design is outright sexy with its low-slung, coupe-like roofline and the Lamborghini Estoque-inspired buttocks - though Audi unimaginatively tries to convince us that the tail of the show car is "evidently related to the A5 Coupe". Inside, the Sportback gets a four-seat layout and a wide center console that stretches from the dashboard to the back. Passengers will be happy to know that the Sportback's trunk has a volume of 500 liters (17.66 cubic feet).

Not surprisingly, Audi equipped the show car with a 3.0-liter V6 TDI clean diesel engine. As in the U.S. version of the Q7 3.0 TDI, the V6 also produces 165 kW (225 hp) and 550 Nm (405.66 lb-ft) of torque in the Sportback concept. Power is transferred to the wheels via Audi's new 7-speed tiptronic transmission.

Weighing in at 1,800 kilograms (3,968.32 lb) and with a drag coefficient of 0.30, the coupe-like fastback saloon accelerates from 0 – 100 km/h (62mph) in less than seven seconds and reach a top speed of 245 km/h (152mph). According to Audi, the Sportback concept's average fuel economy according to the European ECE standard is 5.9 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers (39.87 US mpg), and its CO2 emissions no more than 156 g/km (251.06 g/mile).

Audi Sportback Concept: Sporty Sedan with Lambo Inspired Buttocks Leaked

There goes Audi's surprise premiere; the first official photos of the firm's Detroit Show Sportback concept have been leaked into the internet. The first thing that caught our attention on Audi's concept study is without doubt the Sportback's rear-end and the similarities it shares with the Lamborghini Estoque saloon that was unveiled at last year's Paris Show.

There's no official info on the car yet, but our sources state that the Sportback Concept will find its way into production as the A7 by mid-2010. And yes, it will be based on the A6 using the same powertrains, including the 3.0 TFSI turbocharged V6 and the RS6's twin-turbo 5.0-lter V10. Click through to see the leaked photos and tell us your initial thoughts.

Source: Fortitude , Via: Jalopnik

Audi Confirms R8 5.2 V10FSI and Mystery Concept Car for Detroit Show

Audi has announced that the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit that opens on Sunday, January 11, will see the world premieres of the new R8 5.2 FSI quattro with its 525HP V10 as well of a new "fascinating concept car". The German automaker has not revealed any details whatsoever on the concept study, but our sources point towards the A7, which is essentially Audi's answer to the Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe. The production version of the A7 that will be offered with a variety of powertrains, including the S4's 3.0 TFSI turbocharged V6 and the RS6's twin-turbo 5.0-lter V10, is scheduled for a 2010 debut.

Allegedly Official Audi A5 Cabrio, A5 Sportback, A7 and A8 Sketches Appear on the web

Unless Audi has some sort of top secret website that it is only known to a couple of journalists around the world and has somehow escaped our attention -you'll be the judge of that, we're obliged to treat these teaser sketches depicting the German firm's future models which first appeared on the Dutch site Autoweek, either as a leak or as non official. Just for the record, Autoweek vaguely states "there are sketches of future Audi models around the web" - whatever that means. -Continued

In any case, the grayscale sketches showcase Audi's future portfolio including the 2009 A5 Cabriolet and its 5-door hatchback-coupe sibling called the A5 Sportback, the 2011 A7 four-dour coupe which is based on the A6 platform and will compete against Merc's CLS along with the next generation 2010 A8 luxury sedan.

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Via: Autoweek.nl