#2011AudiA7

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.

Later today Audi will officially unwrap the A7 Sportback, but that hasn’t stopped a few pics of the car from showing up on the interwebs. Looking significantly like the Sportback concept that debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, (plus some design tweaks from the new 2011 A8), the 5-door is designed to appeal to European audiences while also attract less traditional luxury buyers to the Audi brand on this side of the Atlantic.

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.