We have been hearing about a possible debut of the Audi A7 for quite some time now. However, not much had been revealed as yet. Building on the expectations, finally, a handful of spy pictures have emerged on the Net. The upcoming Audi A7 has been clicked on the roads near Salzburg in Austria. The pictures come courtesy of an Audi lover who was test driving his new Audi A8 when he saw the Audi A7 speeding past him, says a worldcarfans.com report.

So what do we have here to expect?

Going by the pictures, the Audi A7 sports an exterior much similar to the A8. This means that the frontal look would come with headlights, nose, grille, and foglights. The new Audi A7 is most likely to be rolled out in Paris this October. Expected to be powered by supercharged 3.0-liter 268-hp (200 kW / 272 PS) V6 and 372-hp (277 kW / 377 PS) 4.2-liter V8 engines, the diesel variants could include a 3.0-liter TDI producing 250 hp (184 kW / 253 PS), and a 350-hp (258 kW / 355 PS) 4.2-liter TDI. A 7-speed double clutch gearbox could be part of the new car, too. [via WCF]

After Japan and the US, it will be the UK which will see a full-scale production of the Nissan LEAF EV in the company’s Sunderland plant. While the Japanese production commences this year, US will see the LEAF being produced in 2012 and the UK plant will follow a year later.

Nissan also intends to build an advanced lithium-ion battery plant in Sunderland and the construction should begin next month. While the automobile facility will render 50,000 LEAF units annually, the battery plant will have a capacity of 60,000 batteries per year .Collectively, the investment for both these projects will be somewhere close to an astounding £420 million. Nissan LEAF is touted as the first mass-produced and affordable family EV in the world and it will throng many streets across the world in a couple of years from now.

Tata Nano impressesed with its inexpensive price tag in India which made it cheapest car in the world, but over the other side of the globe, in the US, Nano will not be able to stick to its cost effectiveness. The obvious reason is that the Nano will need to undergo a number of changes to become drivable on American roads — like we mentioned last time. It will require a longer front end and even the engine will have to be upgraded to match the emission standards. On the inside, Tata Nano will require airbags, changed seats, sturdier roofing and an improved steering wheel.

The car did meet the crash test standards in Europe but the specifications are slightly different in the US. Tata Nano which has already been showcased at the Detroit Auto Show costs a modest $2500 in India but with all these changes incorporated, it will hit the $8,000 mark or may be even more.

Tata Nano has got some good publicity at the North American International Auto Show and from what we hear, the Indian small car is expected to debut on the streets in the United States by 2011. With a 624cc petrol engine with just 2 cylinders that produces 33 horsepower, Tata Nano manages an amazing 65 miles per gallon fuel efficiency and should go North of $2,200. However, the only issue about the Nano is that it may not meet the safety measures imposed in the US. Now only if they’d bring it to South Africa, isn’t it?

It took a long time coming but what is good to know is that the Renault Fluence has been finally readied for production and in a couple of months, the car will be up for sale. Just to refresh your memories, the Renault Fluence Concept was first revealed in 2004 at the Louis Vuitton Car Elegance Classic in England. The sedan which is more about passenger space than anything else will come with seven different engines to choose from, which includes two petrol and 5 diesel variants. The top of the line in the petrol segment will be a 2.0-litre variant capable of producing 140hp. As far as the diesel variant is concerned, the top version will be a 110hp model with a dual clutch transmission. For some reason we don’t like the back of the car very much.