- The next-generation gas-powered Audi A6 will be renamed A7
- Gas-powered Audis will now have odd-numbered names while electric-powered models will adopt even-numbered names
- The 2026 Audi S7 Avant wagon will replace the 2026 Audi S6 Avant wagon, and has been testing in prototype form
Audi has been spotted testing another member of its next-generation A7 family.
Our latest spy shots show a prototype for what's believed to be a new S7 Avant wagon testing on the streets surrounding Germany's Nürburgring racetrack. Earlier shots showed a regular A7 Avant and an A7 Allroad soft-roader.
Members of the current A7 family are all based on a single Sportback hatchback body style. However, for the next generation, there will also be Avant wagons that take over for the current A6 Avant wagons.
Audi's next-generation A6 family will go the E-Tron electric route later this summer, but Audi still wants to offer a midsize lineup with gas engines, which is why the A7 range is being expanded. It's all part of Audi's new naming strategy announced last year, which uses even numbers in the model names for EVs and odd numbers for models with internal-combustion engines (ICE).
2026 Audi S7 Avant spy shots - Photo via Baldauf
We know this latest prototype is for an S7 Avant and not the regular A7 Avant because of the quad-exhaust tips, the large openings in the front grille, the large brake rotors housed within large wheels, and the lowered stance. A more potent RS 7 Avant with widened wheel arches and even larger brake rotors should also be coming.
Under the hood should be a twin-turbocharged V-6. The same type of engine complete with an electric compressor delivers a peak of 444 hp in the current S7. A pairing with a mild-hybrid system is possible for the new generation.
Audi hasn't announced plans for the next A7, but the automaker is expected to use an updated version of the current-generation's MLB platform. The updated platform is known as the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion), and will make its debut in a redesigned A5 due out later this year. As Audi aims to phase out combustion models in most markets by the end of the decade, the automaker is unlikely to invest in a new platform for ICE powertrains.
The first members of the new A7 family are expected to debut next year. Any that reach the U.S. should arrive as 2026 models. While the S7 Avant is unlikely to be sold here, the A7 Allroad and RS 7 Avant may make it here alongside the new A7's various Sportback models.
