Audi Confirms the A7 and S7 Are Dead for 2026, but the RS7 Lives On
The German luxury automaker will replace the A7 and S7 Sportbacks with a new fastback version of the A6 sedan.
2025 audi rs7View Photos
Marc Urbano|Car and Driver
Audi’s sleek A7 and S7 fastback sedans will not be offered for the 2026 model year.
The related RS7, meanwhile, continues on for another trip around the sun.
Audi says the new gas A6 acts as the replacement for both the outgoing A6 sedan and the A7.
No sooner did we publish a group obituary for nameplates not making it to the 2026 model year than we had to update it. So it goes. Audi has confirmed that the A7 and S7, its remaining Sportback models, will not be offered after the current 2025 model year. Interestingly, the 621-hp RS7 lives on, at least through 2026.
The soon-to-be-outgoing A7 and S7, along with the max-performance RS7 variant, represent the second generation of Audi’s A6-based liftback sedan. These slinky five-doors share powertrains, tech, and much of their interiors with the three-box A6 but trade a bit of back-seat headroom for a more commodious cargo area and a sleeker profile.
Audi says the A7 and S7 will be replaced, at least in spirit, by the new gas version of the A6. Notably, the 2026 A6 gets a Sportback-esque shape, making it a sort of A6/A7 mashup, though it will not carry the Sportback name.
There’s no word on the non-RS models’ potential return, but we aren’t holding our collective breath. As for the RS7’s apparent stay of execution, perhaps it sticks around for another year until a super-powered RS6 sedan joins the roster. (Fingers crossed.) Note that Audi currently sells the RS6 in station-wagon Avant form, and it’ll also return for 2026; an RS6 sedan hasn’t been available in the U.S. for several generations. But things change.
RS6 Avant
This move is similar, but not identical, to the automaker’s strategy with the A4 and A5 lineups. To simplify the offering, and likely to make way for electric versions twinned with most gas-fed Audis, the A4 name and sedan shape go away, replaced by A5 and S5 “sedans” that carry forward the fastback torch. We also lost the A4 Allroad station wagon in that process.
To add a bit more confusion, Audi sold two versions of the A5 for the 2025 model year. The outgoing A5 and S5 Sportbacks sat on dealer lots alongside the redesigned A5 and S5, which start out as 2025 models. If there’s an upside here, it’s that Audi showrooms in 2026 will be a lot less crowded as the overlap between models of similar shapes and sizes is reduced.
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David Gluckman
Contributing Editor
Ever since David was a wee Car and Driver intern, he has kept a spreadsheet listing all the vehicles he’s driven and tested. David really likes spreadsheets. He can parallel-park a school bus and once drove a Lincoln Town Car 63 mph in reverse. After taking a break from journalism to work on autonomous vehicles, he’s back writing for this and other automotive publications. When David’s not searching for the perfect used car, you can find him sampling the latest in gimmicky, limited-edition foodstuffs.