Just the Facts:

* Audi's A7 Sportback will make its public debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show after a July 26 reveal in Munich.
* The A7 Sportback's main competitors are the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the BMW 5 Series GT.
* The A7 is expected to come in performance-oriented S and RS variants, as well as a hybrid edition.


INGOLSTADT, Germany — Audi said it will officially reveal its new A7 Sportback on July 26 at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. The event, which is being teased on YouTube and a Dutch Web site, will be broadcast live on Audi TV, about two months ahead of the car's public debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show.

The A7 Sportback was previewed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with the Audi Sportback Concept. The large five-door sedan with "quad coupe" styling aims to challenge the next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLS, which is also expected to break cover at Paris, as well as the BMW 5 Series GT, among others.

Plans for the U.S. market are still vague, although fully finished prototypes have been running around Europe for months.

The production A7 will offer a variety of power plants and transmissions and is expected to come in performance-oriented S and RS variants, as well as a hybrid edition.

Inside Line says: How many more big, expensive five-doors can the luxury market absorb? — Paul Lienert, Correspondent