All-new Audi A9 leaked

Italian website autodesignmagazine.com has published what it claims is an exclusive preview of Audi's all-new A9, which as we reported last month is expected to make its world debut at the Los Angeles motor show on November 18.

Seen here for the first time in this dimly-lit overhead teaser shot, the vehicle appears to be a long, sleek liftback or shooting brake with a rounded roofline, extremely short overhangs at both ends and muscular wheel-arches.

It's not clear how many doors the concept has, but the A9 is expected to be a five-door 'coupe' version of the next (fourth) generation A8 limousine, just like the other A5 and A7 Sportback models.

Unlikely to appear in production form until 2017, Audi's all-new range-topper is of course expected to be offered S9 and perhaps even RS 9 performance guises, with quattro all-wheel drive and twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8s delivering more power than the same engine in the 412kW/700Nm RS 6 and 7.

At more than five metres in length, the five-door A9 will have no direct competitor from Mercedes-Benz or BMW, whose CLS and 6 Series Gran Coupe models currently compete with the A7.

Importantly, the A9 concept also previews the design direction of Audi's future flagship models, including the new A8 with which it shares the company's large MLB Evo platform.

As Marc Lichte, Audi's new head of design since February, told Auto&Design, the A9 concept is "a manifesto for the four-ring brand’s new formal language".

"Audi here is placing the accent even more firmly on the sporting dimension, something that will characterise the whole upcoming generation of cars, said Lichte, adding that “the new models will be immediately recognisable as Audis, starting with the signature single-frame grille which will, however, also represent a major step forward in terms of sportiness”.