2012 Audi A6 Rendered

2012 Audi A6
We surely can't say Audi has been lazy recently. The Bavarian carmaker has been churning out one new product after another, from the R8 supercar to the 10Best-winning S4, and the upcoming A1, a technology-laden premium city car.

But we haven't heard much lately from the comfy and powerful executive sedan that’s the backbone of the brand, the A6. And that’s because the current model is just about ready to retire. Its successor's design was locked in a year ago, and we expect the next car to be unveiled at any of this fall's upcoming auto shows, likely in Paris or Los Angeles.

Internally called C7, the next-generation A6 will be built on Audi's modular-longitudinal platform. This means its front axle moves further to the front, and the nose-heavy look of the current C6 will disappear. The front end, in fact, will look a lot like the Sportback concept, which is essentially the upcoming A7, which is due to launch this summer and is closely related to the A6.