If you’ve been dying to know more about Audi’s all-new design language for its next-gen models, a recent A7 sedan prototype spilled more beans than the carmaker would have liked. Or maybe they don’t mind it at this point. Either way, chances are the next-gen A7 sedan is going to look pretty much just like this rendering.
What even is the A7 sedan, you ask? I’m happy to go over it again, especially since it can get very confusing, even for longtime Audi fans.
The German carmaker decided to separate its internal combustion engine models from its battery-electric models completely, which is why going forward, successors to existing ICE cars will adopt odd numbers, while next-gen EVs will use even numbers. In other words, you’ve got your A3, A5 and A7 on good old fashioned dinosaur juice, whereas the A4, A6, Q4, Q6 and so on will be going electric. This also means no more ‘e-tron’ models.
Personally, I’m not a fan, because you’re creating separation at the expense of segment positioning. Basically, Audi’s alternative to the BMW 5 Series, come next year, will be the A7 sedan. However, its rival for the all-electric BMW i5 will be the A6.
There are further implications here to consider. For example, we’re witnessing the official death of mid-size luxury four-door coupe models such as the Audi A7 Sportback or Mercedes-Benz CLS, for that matter.
We’ve known since last year that Mercedes wouldn’t be making a new CLS (big mistake if you ask me), and now to learn of the A7 Sportback’s demise... it just hurts. These were the types of cars you bought because you wanted to drive something different, in a good way – not EQE-different.
That being said, just how handsome of a sedan is this all-new A7? Well, our friends at Kolesa did a great job removing the camouflage from that recently spied prototype. Their rendering is on point in terms of proportions, and they seemingly nailed both the front and rear fascias, although the rear might still end up being more 'e-tron GT' and less 'current-gen A6' in terms of light units.
Photo: Kolesa
The overall design language is... not bad? I’m not crazy about it, but it’s got a certain understated flair. It’s elegant and modern, and I quite like the shoulder line. The front end is nice too, but the rear still raises the most questions. The taillights might turn out to be a bit too big, kind of like on the Volvo S90, only bigger. You can tell that’s the case even through the camouflage.
As for the profile of the vehicle, I’d give it a solid 7.5/10, based on what we know so far. I like the flush door handles. Everyone’s doing flush handles nowadays for the sake of aero efficiency.
What do you guys think? Is this Audi A7 sedan rendering something you’d see yourself choosing over the likes of the G60 BMW 5 Series and W214 Mercedes E-Class?
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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