A7 has some but not all of the utility of a hatchback, and some but not all of the seats of a full-size sedan.
Audi today announced that pricing for the full size Audi A7 will begin at $59,250 when the models reach U.S. showrooms later this month. At first glance appears to be a hefty price for a V-6 powered, all-wheel-drive 5-door hatchback, and price excludes an $875 destination charge, taxes, title, options, and dealer charges.
However, the A7 has been on sale since last fall in Europe at €51,600 – more than $73,000 at current exchange rates. Critics of German auto companies claim they have been dumping in the U.S for years to protect their market share as the Euro rose in value.
Audi says the A7 has “the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.” The sleekly styled A7 is the latest attempt to explore the pricing elasticity of a hatchback configuration in larger, more expensive segments. Audi’s promotional material goes to great efforts to not use the word hatchback, calling it instead a five-door coupe, and in the pricing release even eschewing the European “sportback” moniker it is attempting to establish.
Typically hatchbacks are associated with inexpensive sub-compact and compact cars, particularly in the United States, of course, so the positioning has a rationale.
Honda and Acura are working this same area of what is thus far a largely unproven market segment with the Crosstour and ZDX models, respectively, currently on sale and very close in dimensions to the A7, roughly 196 inches in overall length.. BMW, of course is also very much a factor here with its X6, err, SUV, which actually pioneered the idea.
All U.S. Audi models come with a 3.-liter V6 supercharged engine delivering 310 horsepower and 325 lbs-ft of torque. The V6 is linked to an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and all-wheel drive with 40:60 rear-bias torque split.
While the A7 has the signature Audi grille and optional LED headlights that are becoming a distinctive design cue, focus will be on the large rear hatch that provides access to a 535-liter (18.89 cu ft) capacity, which increases to a volume of 1,390 liters (49.09 cu ft) with the rear seatbacks folded forward. The styling works against optimizing room here, though, and the A7 seats only four passengers.
How this newly emerging segment is ultimately classified – crossovers, SUVs, fastback wagons, 4-door hatchbacks, 5-door hatches – will no doubt be the subject of an interminable industry maneuvering, as marketers look for the magic words that will motivate people to spend premium dollars for room and features that are less expensively and more efficiently obtained in more mainstream offerings.
