Auto Motor und Sport CGIs' are very often spectacularly inaccurate. I have a hunch that many exterior design queues seen on the more recent Quattro Concept/ QTron/ETron Spyder and Coupe Concept cars will find their way onto future Audis, including the upcoming A9. Wide shouldered with sharply penned, precise "bone" lines, low, horizontally accentuated head-and taillamps, substantially reduced front overhangs, etc.
To substantially reduce the front overhang would surely require the front wheels to be moved further forward and in turn mean moving the engine further back, is such a thing possible with the current Quattro design?
Certainly only by a centimeter or two at most on the MLB-Evo matrix, but the visual effect should be quite apparent. Of course, achieving the extreme cab-backwards proportions of a BMW 5 or 6 series, for example, can hardly be accomplished on MLB-based cars.
Don't see the purpose. An A9 must not be a larger A7 which is a larger A5 (in fact the A5 is a smaller A7), but it should really be something different and IMO more sedan like. Just as the CS must not be a larger 6GC but be as the Concept was.
In an article which appeared in the current edition of Germanys' Autozeitung magazine, it was hinted that Audi may be reconsidering the launch of the A9. Company strategists are allegedly pondering whether a large, coupe-like crossover SUV (Q9 ?) would be a more appropriate addition to the companys' model line-up. While a pity, I can grasp the logic. With the Panamera series II +derivatives and an all-new Bentley Continental line, both sporting the VW-Groups upcoming MSB configuration, being due for introduction within the next 3-4 years, the A9 may seem superfluous. Perhaps Audi will simply make the next generation A8 SWB sedan a bit more coupe-like and thus "swoopier". In addition, Audi is considered the VW-Groups' "SUV Competence Center".
Could feature an autonomous driving system Rumors about an Audi A9 flagship have been swirling around for years but new details are starting to emerge about the highly-anticipated model. According to Auto Motor und Sport'ssources, the A9 will be launched in 2016 and ride on the same platform that underpins the next-generation Q7. This sounds like an unusual choice, but the model will reportedly be positioned as an Allroad sedan that features an increased ride height and underbody skid plates. Little else is known about the car, but speculation suggests it will feature an impressive array of technology including a semi-autonomous driving system that will enable the car to drive and park itself. http://www.worldcarfans.com/113050257254/audi-a9-coming-in-2016-could-be-based-on-the-q7---report
Yeah, what is Allroad Sedan? But I want to see Sportback-model. Maybe later comes more different models.
Car & Driver magazine has published an intel piece from their often accurate European contributor Jens Meiners. The piece centers around upcoming offerings from the more sporting side of the Audi range, including next-generation TT (MQB), A5 (B9) and an all-new A9 model to be positioned above A8 as the nomenclature would suggest. Here’s a rundown: Audi TT The next-generation TT will move to Audi’s modular transverse matrix known internally as MQB. Meiners also confirms that the car will use a TFT-screen instrument cluster. The report also suggests the car will use the 2.0 TFSI as the base engine, higher-hp 2.0 TFSI for TTS and an augmented 2.5 TFSI for TT RS. This is all as you might expect, though we’ve heard some wacky intel that suggests TTS may also make use of the 2.5 TFSI… a rumor not also confirmed reported in Meiners story, but one that would prove most interesting if true. Audi A5Here also the intel is consistent with what we’ve heard before and mainly focuses around the new MLB-evo architecture. Worth noting, Meiners states the A5 will drop about the same time as the next-generation TT (or shortly thereafter) and also confirms that the upcoming Porsche Macan will also be one of the first to use the architecture. Audi A9 Rumors of an A9 continue to swirl and Meiners’ report puts this a bit into perspective. We’ve heard everything from a coupe to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SL to, more recently, a tall Sportback-like vehicle. Though the former sounds more enticing, the latter would likely prove the better business case and likely holds more truth. Interestingly, Meiners stated that the vehicle may also be called Q9, which sounds as if it would push the vehicle more into the realm of people mover or crossover and we wonder how that would work with the also-rumored Q8 model. Read Meiners’ report and see renders of each vehicle over at Car & Driver.
