WorldCarFans photographers were lucky enough to spot a prototype Audi S7 out in the wild near the Nurburgring test track in Germany. What we can deduce from the photos is fairly typical of what we’d expect – a quad-pipe exhaust, sexy S-type wheels with big brakes, a retractable rear spoiler, and what will surely be a slightly modified, more aggressive appearance.

The expected powertrain, although we’ve been wrong about this before, is a 440+ hp, 4.2-liter V8. Make sure to check out WCF for more details and images.

2010 Audi A7 Spied

Today we find ourselves with a few more spy shots of the upcoming Audi A7, this time courtesy of Car Magazine. The heavily camo’d A7 test mule doesn’t give away anything more than we didn’t already know, but it’s good to see one on the streets.

The 2010 Audi A7 will compete with the Mercedes CLS, and is essentially a sexier hatchback version of the A6 sedan. Expect the North American version of the A7 to include a 204 hp, 2.8-liter V6 and a 300 hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V6, while upgrading to the 2011 S7 to be released a year later will get you into a 4.0-liter V8 engine producing 397 hp. The European version, as always, will have a wider choice of engines including diesel variants. The engines will be mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7- or 8-speed automatic transmission.

Head over to Car Magazine for more images.

2011 Audi A7 Spied

Some lucky photographers got a sneak peek at the upcoming Audi A7 recently.

The A7 line, including the S7 and RS7 variants will come with a large variety of powerplants, starting with a 204 hp, 2.8-liter V6 and a 300 hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V6. Upgrading to the S7 (not to be confused with the Saleen S7 supercar) will bag you a 4.0-liter V8 engine pushing 397 hp. The RS7, the most powerful of the trims, will likely feature the same 5.0-liter 600 hp twin-turbo V10 engine rumored to be powering the R8 successor.

Expect a 6-speed manual gearbox standard and a 7- or 8-speed automatic available as well. All-wheel-drive quattro will be standard on all North American versions.

We should start seeing the A7 in 2010, with the S7 a year later and the RS7 two years after that.

Head over to MotorAuthority for more images.

Audi A7 Sportback Concept

The Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe will soon have another competitor – the Audi A7. This new Audi model will be for sale in Europe beginning 2010 as a 2011 model, says German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, and will likely hit US shores in 2011.

US models will likely receive a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 putting out 300 hp, while the Europeans can expect a lesser 2.8-liter 204 hp engine as the low-end choice. A high-end S7 is expected, and is likely to receive a 394-horsepower V8 engine, while some rumors say an even more powerful RS7 would get a 600 hp twin-turbo V10. I’m not entirely convinced of that.

While the AWD quattro system is likely to be standard on the A7 (at least in the States,) power will be routed through a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic gearbox, with a 7-speed dual-clutch system possible as well. In an effort to stay on track with the Mercedes CLS, Audi will be giving the A7 an air-ride suspension setup instead of the typical spring system.

Audi expects annual sales of 40,000 units, but is the A7 a necessary vehicle? It will slot between the A6 and A8, but do we need another car between those models? I know Mercedes has a car for every possible segment and more, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Audi needs to follow suit. It looks good and reads good on paper, but we’ll see if it’s really necessary come closer to launch.