Audi has plenty to celebrate this year, having eclipsed their previous annual sales record of 101,629 (set in 2010) with a month to go in 2011. Sales through the Thanksgiving weekend stood at 102,055 vehicles, giving Audi an amazing year to go along with having record-setting months in each of the first 10 months of the year.

To go along with new car sales, Audi also set a new record with their Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles, besting their 2008 record of 32,108. CPO sales up to Thanksgiving weekend totaled in at 33,102 which was also a 32-percent increase over the previous year’s tally.

This is the second time Audi has exceeded 100,000 in sales since it established its brand in America over 41 years ago. They expect to have a record November month as well, and figures to close the year off with a 12th record setting month.

Much of Audi’s success can probably be credited to the more aggressive styling on the new A4 and A5 models as well penetrating BMW and Mercedes-Benz‘s luxury sedan market with their A6 and A8.

Audi‘s answer to Mercedes‘ CLS has been growing in popularity and now certain aftermarket tuners are offering enthusiasts options for the A7 much like Brabus has for the CLS. One of the major Audi tuners, ABT Sportsline, is now offering a styling kit and performance upgrades for various A7 models, enhancing horsepower and aesthetics to fulfill the search for a sporty, yet luxurious, driving experience.

Starting with the exterior, ABT presents a subtle front and rear lip that is matched by their side skirts, giving the A7 a sportier appearance than factory, while the rear-end houses the quad-tipped exhaust quite nicely,

The big news comes from ABT’s offering of performance upgrades for the 3.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI models with various stages. For the diesel powerplant, ABT offers their ABT Power package and Power S, depending on what your needs are. For those just searching for a minimal power increase, the ABT Power package will increase horsepower from the factory 245-hp to 282-hp. For those searching for even more, the Power S package offers new turbochargers from ABT and brings horsepower up to 310-hp. For the 3.0 TFSI owners, ABT can increase your horsepower to 410-hp, up 110-hp from the factory 300-hp figure.

Finishing off the package is a selection of 19- to 21-inch wheel offerings from ABT, complete with tire packages. Those looking for a more aggressive stance can pick up ABT’s Level Control which allows the owner to lower the air suspension on the A7.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: ABT Sportsline Audi A7

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The not-quite-an A6, not-quite an A8 five-door from Audi finally has a price: in America it will start at $59,250.

At that price, the A7 will come with a 3.0-liter supercharged, direct-injection V6 hooked up to a Tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive.

The sedan-cum-coupe-slash-hatchback will reach showrooms later this month, to confuse potential A6 and A8 buyers into reorganizing their priorities. Do they want a hatch to go with their aluminum-bodied Teutonic precision? Can they live with carrying only four passengers? Would A8-driving Jason Statham approve? Between the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, and now the A7, don’t fault Audi for not covering all their bases.

[Source: Audi]

The Audi A7 is barely on sale, but rumors are already starting about the high performance RS7 that many expect to appear in the next couple years.

With torque-vectoring all wheel drive, carbon ceramic brakes and an adjustable suspension, the RS6 should have the chassis upgrades to match the rumored 600 horsepower twin-turbo V8. With the next iterations of the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG destined to be some of the best luxury sedans ever, the A7 needs to be superb if it wants to compete with such rarefied company.

[Source: Road & Track]

The Audi A7 Sportback is a pretty cool looking car, that has something in common with most of the Audi lineup; they all look even better with the S-Line bodykit.

Two levels of S-Line goodies will be available. The first packaging, featuring split 5-spoke 19×9″ wheels and a lower suspension, should be enough for most people. Interior accents in aluminum, brown wood or black lacquer are available, as are a multi-function steering wheel and the option of alcantara inserts in the leather seats.

An exterior kit is also available featuring a new front bumper and front spoiler, a rear valance, a diffuser and redesigned side sills.  Chrome exhaust tips are also included.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Audi‘s design chief Stefan Sielaff told Autocar magazine that Audi will never do a retro design, for fear of becoming locked into an increasingly stale aesthetic.

In an interview with Autocar about the upcoming A7 sedan, Sielaff commented that”…doing retro is a dangerous game, because you will always have the problem that as soon as you have done such a retro car, you have to think of the next generation, and the generation after that. What are you going to do? Because you can’t get out of it. It will always be close to what you have been doing before.”

Sielaff’s interview is generally interesting, as he detailed the challenges that went into merely getting the A7 into production, but he leaves out one detail. None of Audi’s designs before the TT were really noteworthy at all. How can they do a retro design if they have nothing to look back on?

[Source: Autocar via The Car Lounge]

With its official unveiling set for the Paris Auto Show this Fall, Audi has decided to unwrap its latest model, the A7 Sportback, well ahead of schedule. Designed to compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera, Mercedes CLS and BMW 5 Series GT, this 5-door has 18.89 cubic feet of cargo room in the trunk, with a total of 49.09 cu.-ft. when the rear seats are folded flat. The rear hatch design is made even more unique by a rear spoiler that automatically deploys at speeds above 80 mph.

Four V6 engines will be offered internationally, including the 3.0 TDI motor and the 3.0T (supercharged) engine. While we did expect a V8 to be offered, it’s not necessary as Audi claims the 3.0T engine will deliver a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds. Audi has said that all V6 engines will use an energy regeneration system and a start-stop setup to improve fuel economy. Two transmissions will be offered: a multitronic CVT transmission for front-drive models and 7-speed S tronic with AWD models.

Like it’s mechanically similar A8 brother the A7 gets plenty of luxury inside as well as lots of high-tech goodies. These include standard and optional features like a WLAN hotsport, 1,300 watt Bang & Olufson audio system, the advanced MMI operating system, a heads-up display and Audi’s new touchpad feature that lets the driver or passenger input Nav info by writing the letters with his or her hand.

The new A7 will go on sale in Europe this fall, with North American sales to follow.

GALLERY: Audi A7 Sportback

Official release after the jump:

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Audi has confirmed via a Twitter messgae to enthusiast blog SpeedSportLife that they will be bringing the A7 Sportback to North America by August 2011.

The A7, unvieled today in Munich, will be a four-seater coupe/hatchback/sedan designed to take on the Mercedes-Benz CLS and possibly the BMW 5-Series GT. A four-seater only, the A7 will be powered by a range of 6-cylinder engines, with direct-injection, stop-start technology and brake energy recuperation, which sounds suspiciously like a hybrid car for our tastes. Look for the familiar 3.0L TFSI supercharged V6 to be the sole engine for North America, as it is already certified here and Audi is unlikely to bring the lesser 2.8L V6. Diesels are a slim possibility, but unlikely. With the 7-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox, the A7 3.0TFSI can hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. The A7 is some 220 lbs lighter than the CLS350, allowing it to get away with forgoing a V8 gasoline engine. The A7 will also share the new quattro all-wheel-drive system that debuted in the RS5, featuring a decidedly rearward bias. Front-wheel drive and a CVT gearbox will be offered in Europe, but again, don’t expect them to show up in North America.

While the A7 Sportback does not share a platform with the A8, the car is designed to slot in just below it, with its swoopy styling acting as a contrast to the more staid, discreet A8. It’s not hard to imagine the A8 as a car that European government ministers (and low key wealthy folks in the Americas) would be driven in, while the A7 is for people who still have a performance itch that needs to be scratched.

Pricing hasn’t been announced for North America but “more than an A6, less than an A8″ is likely a safe bet. An S7 and RS7 pair of performance variants were also announced, likely taking aim at the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte.

[Source: Twitter, Audi]

Gallery: Audi A7 Sportback

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Audi has launched a new website in the Netherlands proclaiming that the upcoming A7 Sportback model will be unveiled before the month’s end.

Little is known about the new model, other than it is derived from Audi’s Sportback concept car. Competing against models like the BMW 5 Series GT, Audi is tipped to have built the A7 as an alternative to the A8. Not only will this help Audi expand its top-tier offerings in Europe, where a sportback model like the A7 would be more popular, but it will also help Audi attract less traditional buyers in North America – a market where it struggles to compete.

Audi will likely offer the same engine selection as that found in the A8, including the 372-hp 4.2-liter V8 motor, however, rumors have suggested a new direct-injection 3.0-liter V6, Audi’s supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and even a twin-turbo V8 for an RS7 model.

[Source: Audiblog.nl]

Audi of America’s top man, Johan de Nysschen has confirmed that the upcoming Audi A7 will go on sale in North America. Many had already assumed as much, but until now Audi hadn’t even officially stated that the car existed. And with the A5 Sportback not destined for U.S. shores, the future of the A7 for North America was less than certain.

In an interview with de Nysschen, the folks at Autoblog have ascertained Audi’s plan for the car, which was first shown in concept form (as the Sportback Concept, shown above) at the Detroit Auto Show in 2009. The A7 will be a top-tier premium vehicle from Audi, priced just below the A8 but competing very much in the same space. The idea here is that Audi will now have the A8 for the more traditional buyers in the segment, which it believes will account for roughly 5,000 units sold each year, while the A7 will cater to younger buyers that might not have purchased  a top-dollar Audi in the past. Sales of the A7 are expected to be around 7,000 to 8,00 units, says de Nysschen. In terms of pricing, the A8 is expected to retail for a higher dollar amount in 2011, meaning a middle-of-the-road A7 should cost roughly $82,000.

Audi’s plan with the two cars is to more than double the brand’s presence in the top level of the market by doubling the number of vehicles available to consumers.

The Audi boss also said that the Sportback concept will serve as a, “very reliable indicator” of what the A7 will look like.

As for an S8 model, de Nysschen said that while nothing has been confirmed it’s “safe to assume, ” considering Audi always does a high performance version of its cars.

[Source: Autoblog]