Athletic Aesthetics

Making its North American debut at the L.A. Auto Show, the brand-new Audi A7 Sportback is a sleek beast that blurs the rigid line that has traditionally existed between automotive segments.

Dynamic design, sporty character and innovative technology: Audi is entering new territory with the A7 Sportback. The large five-door car brings together the best of three vehicle concepts: the athletic elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.

Audi aficionados might recognize the A7 Sportback as the production incarnation of the gorgeous Audi Sportback concept, which debuted last year at the North American Auto Show in Detroit.

The Audi A7 Sportback is a moving sculpture — a sizable vehicle with a sporty body and harmonious proportions, a long engine hood and wheelbase, and short overhangs. Up close, the A7 radiates power. With its low, dramatic roofline and its balanced proportions, it looks poised and eager.

The A7 Sportback’s roof arch is a flat dome; the C-pillar stretches to the rear and continues into the shoulder of the body. Integrated into the pillar is a third side window with an upward-pointing tip — a small homage to the Audi 100 Coupé S from 1969.

Viewed from the side, the most important design element of the A7 Sportback is the sharp tornado line. It stretches across the car’s entire flank and defines the proportions. The tornado line starts at the headlights and extends along the fenders and doors, sloping gently toward the tail lights. Above the side sills is the dynamic line, which runs slightly upward before turning sharply and almost vertically upward at the rear.

The tautly drawn wheel wells underscore the powerful, sinewy character of the A7 Sportback. As with a sports car, the exterior mirrors (with integrated LED turn signals) are mounted on the doors.
Customers seeking even more visual dynamics will find them in the S line exterior package. With this package, the bumpers, the grilles of the air inlets, the side sills and the diffuser insert are more pronounced. The diffuser and the center edge of the front spoiler are painted platinum gray, while the fenders and the door sills sport S line badges.

Audi offers a choice of 11 paint finishes for the A7 Sportback.