- Audi’s new A7 has been spied testing, the pictures appearing to confirm that it’s a sedan, not a liftback
- The new A7 is the ICE-powered replacement for the current combustion A6.
- Audi hasn’t killed the A6 badge entirely; it will return on a midsize electric wagon and liftback duo.
Audi is switching its badges around to help buyers more easily navigate combustion and EV offerings. We got our first taste of the strategy in the summer when the long-running A4 sedan switched to A5 badges for the 2026 model year, and now the A6 is morphing into an A7.
The reason for the upheaval is to give all combustion and hybrid cars odd numbers so EVs can snaffle up the even ones. The A6 badge has already been reassigned to an electric midsize car, but in the case of the cars’ body styles, Audi is flipping the familiar A6-A7 relationship on its head.
Related: Here’s Everything We Know About The Next Audi A7 Avant
Over the past decade, we’ve become used to thinking of the A6 as a traditional sedan and wagon, and the A7 as a fastback coupe. But our spy photo team has snapped the upcoming electric A6 (and RS6) as both a wagon and a Sportback with a liftback rear. The A7 has been spied as a wagon or as an old-style sedan with a traditional trunk, as we believe can be seen in the photos on this page.
Audi hasn’t commented on the body styles as the A7 hasn’t yet been launched. Our hunch is that the automaker’s market research found that combustion buyers have more conservative powertrain preferences matched by equally traditional design tastes. The latest BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class are both three-box sedans.
Which isn’t to say that the A7 looks dull. It’s a handsome thing with a sporty rake to its rear window, a short trunk, and a shallow glasshouse imparting something of a coupe vibe. The wheel arches are cut high on the rear quarters giving the sedan a lean look and the flush door handles add a touch of modernity.
A plunging hood line and shorter grille make the A7 look far less formal than its direct rival from BMW, the new 5-Series, but the transverse light bar at the rear with its vertical LEDs at each corner (not illuminated here) might turn off a few of those non-progressive buyers.
All EV customers will be pointed in the direction of the A6 when it arrives, so the A7 will focus on mild-hybrid and PHEV engines, starting with 2.0-liter inline fours available in petrol or diesel form and mated to a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive transmissions. V6 engines will also be available, while the S5 is rumored to get a plug-in 4.0-liter V8 from the Porsche Panamera.
Do you think Audi was right to stick with a traditional sedan format for the new A7? Drop your comments below.
