2011 Audi A7 Sportback Official Details and Photos

The anticipated 2011 Audi A7 Sportback has made its first public appearance on Monday, during a presentation attended by most of the carmaker's managers and webcasted live on Facebook. Marking the German carmaker's entrance in a new segment of the market, the A7 Sportback will begin retailing this fall, with prices starting at EUR51,650 ($67,000).

With a body manufactured mostly out of aluminum components, the five-door coupe measures 4.97 meters (16.31 ft) in length, 1.91 meters (6.27 ft) in width and 1.42 meters (4.66 ft) in height. Visually, it clearly expresses the class it resides in, that which started with the BMW 5 Series GT and the Porsche Panamera.

Engine wise, the vehicle will come with a choice of four units, two gasoline and two diesel, all V6. The gasoline units are the 2.8 FSI ( (204 hp and 280 Nm of torque), paired with S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive (the new generation which debuted on the RS 5), and the 3.0 TFSI (300 hp 440 Nm of torque), which works in conjunction with the S tronic and the quattro powertrain as well.

The diesel units are comprised of two versions of the 3.0 TDI unit, one developing 245 hp and 500 Nm of torque and the second outputting 204 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The first unit comes with S tronic and quattro all-wheel drive, while the second is a front-wheel drive controlled with stepless multitronic automatic transmission.

The safety of the car and its occupants is being taken care off, aside for the already common airbags, by the new adaptive cruise control with stop & go function (ACC) or the Audi side assist (a variation of the lane departure warning system).

The model will come equipped as standard with automatic air conditioning system, keyless ignition via the engine start-stop button, four-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel, xenon headlights, LED tail lights, MMI radio with a 6.5-inch monitor, electromechanical parking brake, power rear hatch, 18-inch alloy wheels and an acoustic windshield.

The range of optional features for the new A7 Sportback is of gargantuan size and ranges from leather packages for the interior to the MMI operating system and the S line sport package (sport suspension, 19-inch wheels, sport seats and a special leather steering wheel).

For the MMI system, Audi worked with Google to provide online services for its customers. Online news and information from the Internet are sent back to the Sportback via the Bluetooth car phone.

As said, the car will hit the roads this fall. More details about pricing and availability outside Germany are to be announced soon.