Audi's latest launch in the international auto scene is not a saloon, not a coupe and not a hatchback, but a little bit of all three. Priyadarshan Bawikar checks out the A7 Sportback

There is definitely a new trend catching on with big name automakers these days. It probably started out in recent times with the sleek looking Mercedes-Benz CLS, later spawning greats like BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo, the Porsche Panamera - and let's not forget the brilliantly elegant Aston Martin Rapide. Call them four door coupes or fastbacks or whatever, these cars combine the svelte flowing lines of sports cars with the comfort and practicality of a saloon and the convenience of a hatchback thrown in for good measure. And that brings us to the Audi's entrant in this rather interesting segment, the A7 Sportback. Now the first glimpse of the A7 Sportback concept were seen way back at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show and earlier this year, auto enthusiasts in India also got the chance to examine the concept up close and personal at the 2010 Delhi Auto Expo.

After blowing everyone's mind with the Sportback Concept, Audi finally took the wraps off the real deal at the end of last month, and boy, is it still a looker. Having been designed alongside with the latest iteration of Audi's flagship sedan, the A8, the A7 too gets a similar treatment to its front end with the now highly angular headlights and Audi's signature LED running lights. But set your eyes upon that back end and the car tells a whole different story. In fact, even though it might share some design features with the new A8, look at the A7 side on and it clear that this car really breaks Audi's standard design mould. While the other sedan from Audi's stables might have what you would probably call very conservative silhouettes, the A7's swooping C-pillars endow it with coupe-like handsomeness.

Knowing Audi's expertise in engine making, this new A7 of course comes equipped with a variety of highly capable motors under the hood. But this time around it's an all-V6 league in the choice of engine options ? two petrols and two diesels to be precise. Their power output ranges from 204 hp to 300 hp and Audi claims they both offer class-leading fuel economy. The new 3.0 TDI with 204 hp and multitronic gearbox is said to deliver an unbelievable fuel economy of 18.8kmpl and putting out CO2 emissions of just 139 g per km. This is all thanks to these engines using Audi's innovative thermal management system, a recuperation system and even a start-stop system.

The interiors too feature many innovations such as a heads-up display that projects driver critical information on the windshield as well as a touch-input system for Audi's patented MMI (Multi-media interface). And that's not all ? the car even features a WLAN hotspot to connect mobile devices as well a UMTS module which connects to Google Earth and delivers images and information to the navigation system. But the real advantage of that fast back rear design is the huge boot space the A7 offers ? a full 535 litres which can be expanded to a whopping 1,390 litres with the rear seats folded down.

All-in-all, what Audi has on their hands is a car that essentially can be defined as a jack-of-all-trades ? one that fulfills a large number of functions one associates with different automobiles. The pricing for this beauty is set to start at 51,600 Euros (about Rs. 31.4-lakh) and as for it coming to India anytime soon, we can always hope.