When Audi debuted the newest A7, the Audi fanbase went nuts over its looks, technology and dynamic potential. Mostly its looks, though. But what was even more exciting was the idea of what the upcoming Audi RS7 could bring on the new platform and with its new powertrains. Now, some spy photos have surfaced, showing the Audi RS7 completely uncovered by camouflage and it looks about as expected. (We don’t own the photos but they can be seen here)
In these photos, the Audi RS7 looks great. It looks mean, aggressive and angry. The hood is heavily sculpted, much like that of the Audi RS5 Coupe, its blacked out grille looks great and its front air intakes are large. It also sits quite low with aggressive fender flares that makes the RS7 seem more muscular. While it’s a very evolutionary change from the current-gen RS7, it does end up making the current car look ancient.
That sentiment is especially true out back. The new rear deck looks so much tighter, sharper and more athletic. It’s the little things that do it, such as the sharp crease of the rear shoulder line and the way the C-pillar crease sort of extends into the body. Or how the crease from the decklid spoiler continues into the rear quarter panel. The massive LED rear taillight strip doesn’t hurt, either. The body sculpting Audi is doing lately is second-to-none, with the sharpest of creases and impossibly tight panels gaps. It’s remarkable.
Brand-New Audi A7
Bigger news than the way the RS7 looks, though, is what’s going to be under the hood. The Audi RS7 will bring two firsts to the Ingolstadt-based brand. Firstly, it will be the first RS-badged car to be available with more than one powertrain. Secondly, it will be the very first plug-in hybrid performance car from Audi Sport.
According to Audi’s head of design, Marc Lichte, the standard Audi RS7 powertrain will be the familiar 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8, the same one that’s shared with the Porsche Panamera, and an eight-speed S-Tronic, dual-clutch gearbox, also borrowed from Porsche. That powetrain will develop around 650 bhp and 590 lb-ft of torque. There are no performance figures at the moment but expect a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds or less.
The second and optional powertrain will be a plug-in hybrid variant. Essentially, it will add an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack to the standard setup, increasing power by 150 hp. However, in the hybrid version, the V8 will be detuned to about 550 hp. So expect total system power of the hybrid RS7 to be about 750 hp. There will also be the added benefit of having instant electric torque to fill in the turbo-lag gaps, making acceleration even more brutal. The hybrid Audi RS7 should be capable of a 0-60 mph time of around 3.2 seconds, maybe even quicker.
We’re incredibly excited about the upcoming Audi RS7 and its hybrid variant. We’ll likely see it at the end of 2018 and it will go on sale as a 2019 model car.
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