ABT Sportsline Readying New Audi Models for 2011 Geneva Motor Show

VW Group specialist ABT Sportsline will bring several Audi models to the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, including the eye-catching R8 GTR with a chrome finish pictured above, as well as its newest tuning proposals for the A7 Sportback and 2012MY A6 sedan.

Alongside the R8 GT-R, A7 Sportback and A6, the German tuner will also be presenting a fourth model, which is being kept a secret for now. “We will be bringing along a sports car which I personally like a lot. For it shows our technical capabilities and offers a maximum level of driving enjoyment. I am looking forward to seeing how it is received by the public in Geneva," said the ABT general manager, Hans-Jürgen.

SPY VIDEO: New Audi A7 Sportback Doing Some Fast Laps on the 'Ring

Here's another spy video of the A7 Sportback, Audi's upcoming, low-roofline hatchback [sic]. Based on the architecture of the next-generation of the A6, the A7 will slot into the Audi lineup above the A6 and below the A8, in the same way that the A5 Sportback fits between the A4 and A6 models.

The upscale five-door model will compete with the new Mercedes-Benz CLS, and if the rumors turn out to be true, with the BMW 6-Series GT (or whatever else the Bavarian firm's decided to call the production Gran Coupe) also, when it goes on sale next year.

Tear away the prototype model's swirly camouflage, and we're willing to bet that what you'll see underneath is a toned-down version of the Sportback Concept that premiered at the 2009 Detroit auto show (see gallery below).

The new A7 will share its engines and transmissions with the next A6 offering buyers a choice of petrol and diesel units including Ingolstadt's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 TFSI, while rumor has it that Audi will expand the range in late 2011 with a gasoline-electric hybrid model.

An S7 with either a pumped up version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 or a naturally-aspirated 4.2 V8, as well as an even hotter RS7 possibly with the 5.2-liter V10 are also believed to be in development, but details remain scarce for now.

Video: Youtube

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Audi Sportback Concept

Malignant Rumors: Audi RS7 Sportback with 580HP V10 Coming to Paris?

The Mercedes CLS-fighting A7 Sportback from Audi, previewed by 2009's Sportback Concept (seen in these pictures), is going to be debuting in Paris later this year.

Rumors coming from Britain indicate that instead of the "hurry up and wait a couple years" strategy that usually surrounds RS models, Audi's 'quattro' division will be releasing its RS7 side-by-side with the standard A7.

Power is said to be sourced from a non-turbo version of Audi's 5.2 liter V10 putting out as much as 580-horsepower and hooked to a 7-Speed DSG transmission.

With the RS7 Sportback, Audi is looking to have a direct competitor for the upcoming CLS63 (and possibly BMW's Gran Coupe-based 8-Series) in its stable.

The only issue here is that quattro builds one model at a time; with the RS5 having just debuted, this RS7 making an appearance may just be a bunch of hopes and dreams. Regardless, there's no doubt that it WILL happen. One day.

So, now that everyone is starting to play in the high-performance four-door coupe sandbox, let the nicely-tailored form-over-function wars begin!

By Phil Alex

Via: Autoblog.com

VIDEO: New Audi A7 Caught Testing with BMW 7-Series in Norway

A pair of camouflaged prototypes of the upcoming Audi A7 were spotted testing outside the city of Oslo in Norway. The A7s appear to be accompanied by an A5 Sportback, a BMW 7-Series and one more car that we couldn't identify. The A7 is to the next-generation A6 what the A5 Sportback is to the A4 / A5 models; a sexier looking and less practical five-door variant (notice the open hatch in the video) of the A6 with seating for four.

Designed to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS that will soon enter its second generation, the A7 shares its steel-reinforced aluminium platform and mechanical hardware with the next A6.

The A7 though will arrive first as Audi has already made it official that it will launch the sporty-looking saloon onto the market in the second half of 2010.

Power will come from a variety of gasoline and diesel engines including the firm's supercharged 3.0-liter V6 TFSI petrol, while rumor has it that Audi will expand the range in 2011 with a gasoline-electric hybrid model.

Via: DN TV

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

2011 Audi A7 4door-Coupe Scooped

It may look like an unsuccessful attempt to recreate a character from the “Cars” movie, but the cover-camouflaged vehicle you’re seeing in these spy pictures from Autobild magazine is the forthcoming Audi A7. The A7 is described as a four-door coupe, or to put it simple, a more aggressively designed but less practical and spacious sedan with a low-slung roof-line.

Expected to be introduced in a major car show in 2009 with sales following in 2011, the A7 will be based on the A6 platform and it will be offered with a wide variety of engines including Audi’s new 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6 petrol unit. The A7 will compete against the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the forthcoming BMW 8-Series (or 9-Series) four-door coupe based on the CS Concept.

Via: Autobild

Audi A7 Rendering

Finishing off its trio of, allegedly official Audi sketches (see the A1 here and the R8 Spider here), Car Online took off the wraps on the A7, a 4door-coupe model aiming at the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The Brits support that the A7 will be previewed by a concept at the 2009 New York Auto Show with a production version following in at the 2009 Frankfurt International motor Show. If Car's sources are correct, then the A7 will most probably be based on the A6 platform using the same 3.2 V6 and 4.2 V8 FSI petrol units and 2.7 and 3.0 V6 TDI diesel units along with the Lamborghini Gallardo derived, 5.0 V10 powerhouse for the top spec S7/RS7 version.

Via: Car

2009 Audi A7 Rendering – by CG Artist Gabriel Rabhi

I guess your wondering who Gabriel Rabhi is. Well, he could be you, he could be me, he could be anyone with a passion for cars. See, as we learnt from his website, Rabhi is not a professional automotive designer but a computer graphic artist that works for many companies and projects. A passion may fade over time, but as Rabhi’s A7 splendid rendering proves, it’ll never die.

Now, a word about his interpretation of an Audi A7 four-door coupe (rumoured to be unveiled sometime in 2009). According to Rabhi, the main characteristic of his A7 is the mid curve on the side of the car that’s inspired from 70’s muscle cars and is also evident on the upcoming A5 Coupe spy shots. Another highlight of his design is of course the 'ala' Alfa Romeo inspired hidden rear door handles. Via: Fourtitude, Source: Gabriel Rabhi -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see the rest of the article plus a high-res image gallery

GABRIEL RABHI

A First Study Work

I’m CG Artist, video game and graphical software programmer, multimedia developer and composer. I’m living in France. I’ve started this modeling to learn complex surfaces modeling with high curvature control. I have done the entire project, from design to rendering in approx. twelve days. Technically, it permits to me to evaluate the process of modeling curved surface usually used in automotive industry, describes as polynomial NURBS curves with high degree, from 5 to 9. This is the only way to have perfect continuity between surfaces.

This car is the result of an intuitive work without any pretentious but a high rendering quality: I have done most of the design directly in 3 dimensions, on the basis of few roughs to define ideas. The absence of a real design work still visible: there are a few ideas, but the whole design is awkward, the language is not clear, the curves and volumes are not perfectly balanced, and numerous details are not realistic. This model is not the result of an advanced work of design with numerous roughs, a reflection to define perfect volumes and a new Audi design language. The design was the matter of only few hours.

But I think the result is good proof that fast virtual prototyping is a reality: I have used one of the best render engines to reach a high quality in lighting simulation, and I was inspirited by the classical Audi concept cars presentations, like the one of the Nuvolary to build a studio like view. And actually, it seems to produce studio like picture from an idea, the longer processes are design and modeling, not rendering.

From this rendering setup, it’s easy to build an animation and make it realistic moving in a virtual road, or in a real road with a final composition process to mix real pictures and virtual car pictures.

The design

The global look is four doors coupe that can be similar to the coming A7. The main idea is the mid curve on the side of the car that is inspired from the 70’s muscle car. This curve is near what has been done on the A5, but with a wider curvature. This curve is looking like a feline body before a run, with eyes that look at its prey.

To define the volumes of this model, I was starting with the automotive definition constraints: headlamp position, engine compartment space, seats position, rear passenger space, roof, boot volume, realistic wheel size… I started from an RS4 modified to take care of visible evolutions of the B8 platform mules: reduced overhang, larger wheelbase, wider track, engine backward.

This model is a little bit realistic about technical specifications. I think this model design is not extraordinary. But the rendering is good, and I can say it’s one of my masterworks. Going far beyond in rendering sophistication is not an easy thing. I have used a global illumination model finely tuned to have a large color frequency specter and rich gradients. The lighting was made to enhance the understanding of shape trough specular highlights.

Technorati: Audi+A7, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Auto Cars 2011, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

2009 Audi A7 Rendering – by CG Artist Gabriel Rabhi

I guess your wondering who Gabriel Rabhi is. Well, he could be you, he could be me, he could be anyone with a passion for cars. See, as we learnt from his website, Rabhi is not a professional automotive designer but a computer graphic artist that works for many companies and projects. A passion may fade over time, but as Rabhi’s A7 splendid rendering proves, it’ll never die.

Now, a word about his interpretation of an Audi A7 four-door coupe (rumoured to be unveiled sometime in 2009). According to Rabhi, the main characteristic of his A7 is the mid curve on the side of the car that’s inspired from 70’s muscle cars and is also evident on the upcoming A5 Coupe spy shots. Another highlight of his design is of course the 'ala' Alfa Romeo inspired hidden rear door handles. Via: Fourtitude, Source: Gabriel Rabhi -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see the rest of the article plus a high-res image gallery

GABRIEL RABHI

A First Study Work

I’m CG Artist, video game and graphical software programmer, multimedia developer and composer. I’m living in France. I’ve started this modeling to learn complex surfaces modeling with high curvature control. I have done the entire project, from design to rendering in approx. twelve days. Technically, it permits to me to evaluate the process of modeling curved surface usually used in automotive industry, describes as polynomial NURBS curves with high degree, from 5 to 9. This is the only way to have perfect continuity between surfaces.

This car is the result of an intuitive work without any pretentious but a high rendering quality: I have done most of the design directly in 3 dimensions, on the basis of few roughs to define ideas. The absence of a real design work still visible: there are a few ideas, but the whole design is awkward, the language is not clear, the curves and volumes are not perfectly balanced, and numerous details are not realistic. This model is not the result of an advanced work of design with numerous roughs, a reflection to define perfect volumes and a new Audi design language. The design was the matter of only few hours.

But I think the result is good proof that fast virtual prototyping is a reality: I have used one of the best render engines to reach a high quality in lighting simulation, and I was inspirited by the classical Audi concept cars presentations, like the one of the Nuvolary to build a studio like view. And actually, it seems to produce studio like picture from an idea, the longer processes are design and modeling, not rendering.

From this rendering setup, it’s easy to build an animation and make it realistic moving in a virtual road, or in a real road with a final composition process to mix real pictures and virtual car pictures.

The design

The global look is four doors coupe that can be similar to the coming A7. The main idea is the mid curve on the side of the car that is inspired from the 70’s muscle car. This curve is near what has been done on the A5, but with a wider curvature. This curve is looking like a feline body before a run, with eyes that look at its prey.

To define the volumes of this model, I was starting with the automotive definition constraints: headlamp position, engine compartment space, seats position, rear passenger space, roof, boot volume, realistic wheel size… I started from an RS4 modified to take care of visible evolutions of the B8 platform mules: reduced overhang, larger wheelbase, wider track, engine backward.

This model is a little bit realistic about technical specifications. I think this model design is not extraordinary. But the rendering is good, and I can say it’s one of my masterworks. Going far beyond in rendering sophistication is not an easy thing. I have used a global illumination model finely tuned to have a large color frequency specter and rich gradients. The lighting was made to enhance the understanding of shape trough specular highlights.

Technorati: Audi+A7, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Auto Cars 2011, blogs, 2007, pictures, images