Audi A5
02-26-2007, 09:25 PM
#1
awd pwns!
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ontario
Posts: 2,048
Audi A5
February 26, 2007 - Audi will soon add a new odd-numbered vehicle to its lineup, and this car looks like it will steal the thunder of every Audi-badged vehicle not called RS4 or R8. Ladies and gentlemen, may we present the new A5 coupe.
Based on the Audi A4 chassis, Audi is positioning the A5 to go against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the upcoming G35 coupe. Mechanical bits will be sourced from existing Audi mechanicals, meaning that the base A5 will be a front wheel-drive car. Audi makes some great front drivers, but something tells us that the base A5 won't drive as well as a 3-Series or G.
While we're on the subject of the 3-Series, is it just us or do we see some 3-Series influence in the A5's shape? The front is decidedly "Audi", but check out that "rocker panel" character line; we saw that same upswept line on the 335i coupe we drove. Need we even mention the taillights? Something tells us that BMW's lawyers are calling the folks at Audi as we type this. Still, we can't exactly fault Audi for building an "un-Bangle-ized" German sports coupe. The A5 takes what was good about the 3-Series coupe and puts it into a package that is more "accessible" than the Bimmer.
Though the A5 may be based on the A4 chassis, its interior design borrows more from its bigger A6 sibling. To be honest, we even see a bit of 3-Series influence in the way the radio/vents are situated beneath the nav screen. A large binnacle houses the gauges and nav system, while the accessory and MMI controls rest around the base of the stickshift/gear select lever. With this "A6" treatment, the A5's interior looks as if it will be a big step up from the regular A4; it's definitely nicer than the "VW" interiors of the current A3/A4.
Given the fact that the A5 has a nicer cockpit than its A3/A4 siblings, it's odd to see that the coupe gets the weaker engine. When housed in the A5, the base 2.0 liter turbocharged FSI four-cylinder only puts out 170 horsepower, giving a 30 horsepower advantage to the A3/A4. The standard transmission for this 2.0-liter four pot is a six speed manual.
A5 buyers with a little extra cash to spare can opt for the 3.2 liter V6. This engine is good for 265 horsepower and gets its power to the ground via the all wheel-drive Quattro drivetrain. This car can be equipped with either the six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic with manual mode. People living outside the U.S. can get a 2.7 liter TDI engine (good for 190 horsepower), but since we're not getting it, we'll drop the subject entirely and move on.
Like all good Audis, an "S" version of this car - appropriately called the S5- will also be available. The S5 gets a 365 horsepower V8, fully revised suspension, bigger brakes and a permanent Quattro all-wheel drive system. This Quattro system is setup to deliver 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions, and power will be able to shift around as needed.
Typical "S" trim pieces - such as the Xenon headlights and silver side mirrors - will be present on the S5. The S5 also gets bigger 18-inch wheels wrapped in R rubber and a redesigned boot lid that provides actual downforce.
Unfortunately, Audi has yet to mention that it has an RS5 in the works. If any car can compete with the upcoming M3, it would be an RS5. Our mouths water just thinking about the prospect of a two door Audi that is as good as a RS4... Mmm...
The A5 will be available for order starting March 7, and cars will start being delivered in June. In the meantime, check out our Media Page for more pictures of this hot new Audi coupe.
Based on the Audi A4 chassis, Audi is positioning the A5 to go against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the upcoming G35 coupe. Mechanical bits will be sourced from existing Audi mechanicals, meaning that the base A5 will be a front wheel-drive car. Audi makes some great front drivers, but something tells us that the base A5 won't drive as well as a 3-Series or G.
While we're on the subject of the 3-Series, is it just us or do we see some 3-Series influence in the A5's shape? The front is decidedly "Audi", but check out that "rocker panel" character line; we saw that same upswept line on the 335i coupe we drove. Need we even mention the taillights? Something tells us that BMW's lawyers are calling the folks at Audi as we type this. Still, we can't exactly fault Audi for building an "un-Bangle-ized" German sports coupe. The A5 takes what was good about the 3-Series coupe and puts it into a package that is more "accessible" than the Bimmer.
Though the A5 may be based on the A4 chassis, its interior design borrows more from its bigger A6 sibling. To be honest, we even see a bit of 3-Series influence in the way the radio/vents are situated beneath the nav screen. A large binnacle houses the gauges and nav system, while the accessory and MMI controls rest around the base of the stickshift/gear select lever. With this "A6" treatment, the A5's interior looks as if it will be a big step up from the regular A4; it's definitely nicer than the "VW" interiors of the current A3/A4.
Given the fact that the A5 has a nicer cockpit than its A3/A4 siblings, it's odd to see that the coupe gets the weaker engine. When housed in the A5, the base 2.0 liter turbocharged FSI four-cylinder only puts out 170 horsepower, giving a 30 horsepower advantage to the A3/A4. The standard transmission for this 2.0-liter four pot is a six speed manual.
A5 buyers with a little extra cash to spare can opt for the 3.2 liter V6. This engine is good for 265 horsepower and gets its power to the ground via the all wheel-drive Quattro drivetrain. This car can be equipped with either the six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic with manual mode. People living outside the U.S. can get a 2.7 liter TDI engine (good for 190 horsepower), but since we're not getting it, we'll drop the subject entirely and move on.
Like all good Audis, an "S" version of this car - appropriately called the S5- will also be available. The S5 gets a 365 horsepower V8, fully revised suspension, bigger brakes and a permanent Quattro all-wheel drive system. This Quattro system is setup to deliver 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions, and power will be able to shift around as needed.
Typical "S" trim pieces - such as the Xenon headlights and silver side mirrors - will be present on the S5. The S5 also gets bigger 18-inch wheels wrapped in R rubber and a redesigned boot lid that provides actual downforce.
Unfortunately, Audi has yet to mention that it has an RS5 in the works. If any car can compete with the upcoming M3, it would be an RS5. Our mouths water just thinking about the prospect of a two door Audi that is as good as a RS4... Mmm...
The A5 will be available for order starting March 7, and cars will start being delivered in June. In the meantime, check out our Media Page for more pictures of this hot new Audi coupe.
03-13-2007, 12:14 PM
#2
Audi Forum - Posts like an A6
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 947
Re: Audi A5
Last week, the world took its first look at the Audi A5 and S5, two coupes that will play a big role in boosting Audi's image around the world. But underneath, the cars' fundamentals are far more important to the brand's future, as Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told TheCarConnection inGeneva. The A5 and S5, in any other year, at any other automaker, would be introduced separately - as much as a year apart. Audi's sending them off into the market simultaneously because of the steady stream of new Audis heading to market. In all, Audi launched 12 new models in 12 months in 2006, and this year will be equally busy, Stadler says.
The A5 comes on the heels of the supercar R8, which the young executive says is "the most emotional product Audi ever had…a real Audi sportscar." The two-door shares some of its mechanicals with the Lamborghini Gallardo, and Stadler says that marketing the new supercar requires close cooperation with Lamborghini's U.S. arm. Lamborghini, he explains, is the "cutting edge" sportscar, with volumes of less than 1000 units a year. With a slightly less powerful engine, the Audi R8 will be positioned slightly more mainstream - but likely north of $125,000, alongside the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo.
Stadler says that now is the right time for a car like the R8 to arrive on the Audi scene - but the A5 and S5 have been anticipated even more. Audi's been without a premium coupe in its lineup for eleven years, the Audi CEO says, while BMW continues to mine sales from its 3-Series and 6-Series and Mercedes from the CLK.
The A5 range will include the usual variety of models. To the A5/S5 lineup, Audi also will add an R version. While there are some model lines that will not have the ultimate-performance R versions - the A3 and A8, specifically - the S5 won't go long before it becomes an RS5.
Stadler also hinted that a convertible version of the A5 is coming. Other Audi execs offered that when it arrives, the droptop won't be a hardtop convertible. Among Audi's engineers and marketers, a soft-top convertible is the near-universal choice, even though the technology for coupe-convertibles clearly exists within the VW Group in cars like the Eos.
More importantly, the A5 is the first of a new generation of Audis to be built from a set of modular structures. The A5's running gear will spawn the next A4, likely to debut at the Frankfurt auto show. Because those modular sets of components can be upsized and downsized, they likely will spawn the next A6, possibly even the next A8. Audi has exclusive first use of the modules, though eventually they will be throughout the VW Group, Stadler says.
Along with the A4, a new compact crossover vehicle, the Q5, will be drawn from the same component family. While the R8 was made for the brand, Stadler says, the upcoming Q5 is being added to the lineup for volume growth. The Audi CEO says that particularly in the U.S. , the Q5 will be depended upon to boost Audi's growth. In America, the Q5 will join the A4 and the A6 as one of the brand's most important volume sellers; Stadler says its sales volumes will be somewhere between those of the A6 and the A4, which together accounted for 66,078 of Audi's U.S. sales of 90,116 units last year.
It will also drive home the point to consumers that Audi is, essentially, an all-wheel-drive brand. "No one will be able to sell more all-wheel drive in the U.S. ," Stadler says confidently.
Going forward, Stadler says Audi is committed to developing other niche products like the A5 and the R8. But the question, he says, is whether the new vehicles will bring two-percent growth or five-percent growth.
Diesels are sure to expand their presence in the lineup. Audi's image has already been wedded to the technology, Stadler says. And in the U.S. , the Q7 range will be the place to convert buyers into diesel fans. Audi already plans to add a 3.0-liter diesel to the Q7 soon, and Stadler confirms that Audi's new 4.2-liter diesel will come to the U.S. soon as well. As for the massive V-12 diesel recently unveiled for Europe? Audi execs suggest that it too is likely headed to the U.S. , giving Audi a three-diesel lineup in its SUVs.
In the future, there are prospects for a car smaller than the A3, but more radical changes in the U.S. market would have to create demand for an Audi in the compact niche. No matter what, "Audi must have an answer for all questions about the environment and global warming," Stadler says, adding that "American people will be offered the right solution for their problems."
And as always, Audi is keeping a U.S. assembly site in its reading pile. But with its current production footprint, Audi already can build up to one million units a year. As it pushes toward that number of worldwide sales, Stadler thinks Audi sales would need to reach 1.2 million before the brand would need to consider seriously a U.S. plant.
For now Stadler's goal is profitability in 2007 - "at least as profitable as 2006," he says. Audi's brand awareness is still lower than its competitors, he knows, but his ambition is for Audi to become "a tier-one brand" that can truly match BMW and Mercedes in American sales, and in reputation.
The A5 comes on the heels of the supercar R8, which the young executive says is "the most emotional product Audi ever had…a real Audi sportscar." The two-door shares some of its mechanicals with the Lamborghini Gallardo, and Stadler says that marketing the new supercar requires close cooperation with Lamborghini's U.S. arm. Lamborghini, he explains, is the "cutting edge" sportscar, with volumes of less than 1000 units a year. With a slightly less powerful engine, the Audi R8 will be positioned slightly more mainstream - but likely north of $125,000, alongside the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo.
Stadler says that now is the right time for a car like the R8 to arrive on the Audi scene - but the A5 and S5 have been anticipated even more. Audi's been without a premium coupe in its lineup for eleven years, the Audi CEO says, while BMW continues to mine sales from its 3-Series and 6-Series and Mercedes from the CLK.
The A5 range will include the usual variety of models. To the A5/S5 lineup, Audi also will add an R version. While there are some model lines that will not have the ultimate-performance R versions - the A3 and A8, specifically - the S5 won't go long before it becomes an RS5.
Stadler also hinted that a convertible version of the A5 is coming. Other Audi execs offered that when it arrives, the droptop won't be a hardtop convertible. Among Audi's engineers and marketers, a soft-top convertible is the near-universal choice, even though the technology for coupe-convertibles clearly exists within the VW Group in cars like the Eos.
More importantly, the A5 is the first of a new generation of Audis to be built from a set of modular structures. The A5's running gear will spawn the next A4, likely to debut at the Frankfurt auto show. Because those modular sets of components can be upsized and downsized, they likely will spawn the next A6, possibly even the next A8. Audi has exclusive first use of the modules, though eventually they will be throughout the VW Group, Stadler says.
Along with the A4, a new compact crossover vehicle, the Q5, will be drawn from the same component family. While the R8 was made for the brand, Stadler says, the upcoming Q5 is being added to the lineup for volume growth. The Audi CEO says that particularly in the U.S. , the Q5 will be depended upon to boost Audi's growth. In America, the Q5 will join the A4 and the A6 as one of the brand's most important volume sellers; Stadler says its sales volumes will be somewhere between those of the A6 and the A4, which together accounted for 66,078 of Audi's U.S. sales of 90,116 units last year.
It will also drive home the point to consumers that Audi is, essentially, an all-wheel-drive brand. "No one will be able to sell more all-wheel drive in the U.S. ," Stadler says confidently.
Going forward, Stadler says Audi is committed to developing other niche products like the A5 and the R8. But the question, he says, is whether the new vehicles will bring two-percent growth or five-percent growth.
Diesels are sure to expand their presence in the lineup. Audi's image has already been wedded to the technology, Stadler says. And in the U.S. , the Q7 range will be the place to convert buyers into diesel fans. Audi already plans to add a 3.0-liter diesel to the Q7 soon, and Stadler confirms that Audi's new 4.2-liter diesel will come to the U.S. soon as well. As for the massive V-12 diesel recently unveiled for Europe? Audi execs suggest that it too is likely headed to the U.S. , giving Audi a three-diesel lineup in its SUVs.
In the future, there are prospects for a car smaller than the A3, but more radical changes in the U.S. market would have to create demand for an Audi in the compact niche. No matter what, "Audi must have an answer for all questions about the environment and global warming," Stadler says, adding that "American people will be offered the right solution for their problems."
And as always, Audi is keeping a U.S. assembly site in its reading pile. But with its current production footprint, Audi already can build up to one million units a year. As it pushes toward that number of worldwide sales, Stadler thinks Audi sales would need to reach 1.2 million before the brand would need to consider seriously a U.S. plant.
For now Stadler's goal is profitability in 2007 - "at least as profitable as 2006," he says. Audi's brand awareness is still lower than its competitors, he knows, but his ambition is for Audi to become "a tier-one brand" that can truly match BMW and Mercedes in American sales, and in reputation.
08-12-2007, 03:16 PM
#3
Audi Forum - Posts like an RS4
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Etobicoke
Posts: 864
Re: Audi A5
Looks great, I wish I had the money for one. Maybe when i'm out of university i'll have a good enough job to pony up for one of these.
Note to self: make sure you marry a car-loving wife haha
Note to self: make sure you marry a car-loving wife haha
