Audi R7 Concept Study: CGI Designer Creates Uber Cool Porsche Panamera-Like Sports Sedan

We don't know if the VW Group's takeover of Porsche will eventually lead to a Panamera spin-off, but if Audi does gets the green light to develop such a model, Gabriel Rhabi's R7 design study would be a really great point to start from. The French artist has captured the essence of the brand's design DNA creating a sporty four-door sedan that is clearly recognizable as an Audi yet refreshing in a first-generation TT sort of way.

Maybe even more importantly, Rhabi avoided any concept-style gimmicks as the design is totally acceptable for a production version.

This isn't the first time we've hosted a conceptual proposal from the talented French designer who has a thing for the brand with the four rings. You'll be surprised to know that, despite the amazing quality of his work, Rhabi isn't a professional car designer but a CGI artist, video game and graphical software programmer with a passion for anything on four-wheels.

Merci for the photos Gabriel! - You can see more of Rhabi's work here

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Audi Sportback Concept: 40 High-Res Photos of Detroit Show Sport Saloon

Foreshadowing the production version of the A7 sports sedan that's expected to make its arrival in late 2010 or early 2011, the Sportback Concept was unveiled at 2009 North American International Automobile Show. The large, five-door sport saloon with its coupe-like silhouette is slightly larger than the A6 measuring at 4.95 m long (16.24 ft), 1.93 m wide (6.33 ft) but only 1.40 m high (4.59 ft).

Audi says the Sportback Concept not only offers a glimpse at the Audi's future design vocabulary, but it also signals the company's determination not to limit fastback/ hatchback Sportback versions to the compact segment.

The Sportback's exterior design is outright sexy with its low-slung, coupe-like roofline and the Lamborghini Estoque-inspired buttocks - though Audi unimaginatively tries to convince us that the tail of the show car is "evidently related to the A5 Coupe". Inside, the Sportback gets a four-seat layout and a wide center console that stretches from the dashboard to the back. Passengers will be happy to know that the Sportback's trunk has a volume of 500 liters (17.66 cubic feet).

Not surprisingly, Audi equipped the show car with a 3.0-liter V6 TDI clean diesel engine. As in the U.S. version of the Q7 3.0 TDI, the V6 also produces 165 kW (225 hp) and 550 Nm (405.66 lb-ft) of torque in the Sportback concept. Power is transferred to the wheels via Audi's new 7-speed tiptronic transmission.

Weighing in at 1,800 kilograms (3,968.32 lb) and with a drag coefficient of 0.30, the coupe-like fastback saloon accelerates from 0 – 100 km/h (62mph) in less than seven seconds and reach a top speed of 245 km/h (152mph). According to Audi, the Sportback concept's average fuel economy according to the European ECE standard is 5.9 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers (39.87 US mpg), and its CO2 emissions no more than 156 g/km (251.06 g/mile).

[Source: Carscoop]

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Audi Daysailer: Young Designer Creates Yacht Model with Audi DNA

For the time being, Audi is content with its automotive operations but it never hurts to raise your sails to a catch a different wind. The Daysailer is the result of university-level partnership with the Joanneum University of Applied Science, Graz. The 1:15 scale mode was designed by Markus Klug. The 25-year-old student said that he drew his inspiration from his passion for sailing with the Audi MedCup, a regatta series in the Mediterranean for TP52 yachts, playing a vital role in the design of the model.

"I wanted my design to be clear and direct, but also luxurious and sport," explained Markus Klug. "It has to captivate the onlooker at first glance, in precisely the same way that the cars do, he added.

The prototype mode for the Audi-inspired yacht is just over one metre long but if it were to come to life, it would measure 15 metres in length, its mast would be 21 metres high and it would have a draught of between 1.5 and 2.5 metres.

[Source: Carscoop]

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