During his speech at Audi AG's annual shareholders meeting in Germany, Audi Chairman of the Board, Rupert Stadler, revealed that the automaker is planning to present the next-generation A8 in November and extend its range with the new A5 Sportback sometime in 2009. Furthermore, Stadler confirmed earlier reports that Ingolstadt based company is also working on a hybrid version of the Mercedes GLK rivaling Q5 SUV and that the A1 minicar is due for a 2010 market launch with the Q3 small SUV following in 2011.
This means that unless Audi has another surprise up its sleeves, the four-door coupe derivative of the A5 is most probably the new model that the maker said its preparing to unveil during the celebrative festivities for the firm's 100th anniversary in Germany on July 16.
The A5 Sportback is in essence the production version of the sleek-looking Sportback Concept that was first shown in Detroit in the beginning of the year. Expect to see a familiar Audi engine lineup, including the latest 2.0-liter TSI with 211HP, the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 290HP and a 3.0-liter V6 diesel cranking out 240HP.
"The A4 has attracted the largest share of customers loyal to the Audi brand. And a great number of them want to move further upward while carving out their own unique identity," said Stadler.
"The A5 Sportback is precisely what they're looking for. This vehicle will pose a genuine innovation in the B segment: a revolutionary vehicle concept offering the ideal blend of functionality and aesthetics"
As for the brand new A8 sedan (see the spy shots here), Stadler said claimed that it will be the sportiest model in its segment and that it will redefine people's notions of a luxury car's interior.
"We will also be presenting the next-generation Audi A8 and rest assured, Ladies and Gentlemen, it's going to be a sensation. The A8 remains Audi's flagship: it embodies our understanding of the word "premium"," Stadler told Audi's shareholders.
"The A8 will be the sportiest luxury sedan in its class – and set new standards with regard to interiors. Its precision and build quality are second to none. This model naturally means a great deal to us, because it played a greater role than any other car in the rise of the Audi brand. And we will unveil it to the world in a remarkable fashion in late November."
German-based auto maker Audi, has officially unveiled the Audi A5 Sportback 5-door coupe, which now joins the A5 range, that is also made up by the Coupe and Cabriolet versions. The A5 Sportback, which measures 4,711 mm long, 1,854 mm wide, 1,391 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,810 mm is offered with three engines from the diesel family and three more from the petrol range, although the auto maker also revealed that three more powerplants will be added by mid next year. The A5 Sportback can be seen in dealerships by September this year.
Before we go into the details of the engines, lets take a quick look at the exterior design the Sportback. At first glance, the A5 Sportback looks like a bigger A4 sedan, but with a coupeish roof line. The front and rear ends are definitely influenced by the outgoing A4 sedan, but the side profile is one of those aspects of the car that is very different in terms of the exterior styling. The side profile has more design lines, along with a slopping roof line. Daytime LED running lights are still evident up front, while the rear features LED taillights. The Sportback is also finished with 17 inch wheels, as standard while potential owners can upgrade up to 20 inch ones as well.
The interior is also Audi-standard, with the three-spoke leather steering wheel, two-gauge instrument panel with an LCD display nestled in between them, MMI display and more. Getting in and out of the car is easier with bigger doors that open wider. Both the front and rear seat are mounted low, while the trunk at the back can hold up to 480 liters of space, that can be increased to 980 liters, by folding down the rear back rests. The closing of the rear hatch is also made easy with an electrically actuated lock.
According to Audi, the A5 Sportback features a stiff chassis, fitted with a five-link axle suspension up front and a trapezoidal link suspension at the back. Most of the front and rear suspensions parts are made of aluminum, to help reduce weight. The Sportback comes with speed-sensitive Servotronic steering system (standard on the 211HP 2.0 liter TFSI and V6 models) and a braking system that is made up by 314 millimeter discs up front and 300 millimeter discs at the rear for the 2.0 liter TDI and the 2.0 liter TFSI (180HP) models, while the 211HP 2.0 liter TFSI and V6 models feature front discs measuring 320 millimeters in diameter, with lightweight brake calipers.
The A5 Sportback also uses shock absorbers with continuous damping control (CDC) and potential buyers can choose between three sports suspension setups, including a tauter setup with or without controlled dampers and an S line sports suspension that lowers the body by 10 millimeters. The 5-door Coupe also features Audi’s drive select dynamic control system that offers three driving modes: Comfort, Auto and Dynamic. For models with the MMI interface, a fourth mode is added. Called the Individual mode, it allows the driver to customize their own settings, based on a large number of parameters.
Three diesel or TDI engines include a 170HP 2.0 liter TDI with 350Nm of torque (5.2 liters of fuel per 100 km on average), a 190HP 2.7 liter V6 TDI with 400Nm of torque (6.0 liters of fuel per 100 km in the EU driving cycle) and a 240HP 3.0 liter V6 TDI with a massive 500Nm of torque (6.6 liters of fuel per 100 km on average), which allows to Sportback to sprint to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, up to a top speed of 247 km/h. All of the diesel engines are mated to a manual cog box, except for the 3.0 liter V6 which is offered with the 7 speed dual clucth S tronic transmission.
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By fall this year, the 2.0 liter TDI will get the quattro all wheel drive system, while the 2.7 liter TDI and the 3.0 liter V6 will get the multitronic and the manual transmissions, respectively. Ingolstadt will also offer a 143HP 2.0 liter TDI version with 320Nm of torque by fall as well.
Petrol wise, there is the 180HP 2.0 liter TFSI with 320Nm of torque, the 211HP 2.0 liter TFSI with 350Nm of torque (average fuel consumption figure of 7.4 liters of fuel per 100 km), and the 265HP 3.2-liter V6 FSI, that is also good for 330Nm of torque. The 180HP 2.0 TFSI comes with a multitronic transmission while a manual version will come next year. Both the 211HP 2.0 liter version and the top of the line model get the 7 speed S tronic transmission and the quattro permanent all wheel drive system.
The 265HP V6 consumes 9.3 liters of fuel for every 100 km, on average. 0 - 100 km/h takes 6.6 seconds, and will go on to deliver a top speed of 250 km/h. All models benefit from Audi’s s energy regeneration system that makes use of the kinetic energy during deceleration. The alternator will then convert the kinetic energy into electrical energy that is stored temporarily in the battery. The 2.0 liter versions fitted with the manual transmission feature the engine start-stop system, that can reduce fuel consumption by 0.2 liters per 100 km.
Audi has also made available two S Line packages for the A5 Sportback, including the S Line sport package and the S Line exterior package. The S Line sport package comes with a tauter suspension setup and lowered body with larger wheels while interior extras include sport seats covered in cloth and leather, a special leather sport steering wheel, a leather shift lever knob, inlays in brushed aluminum and color-coordinated floor mats. S line badges adorn the fenders, the door sill trims and many interior parts.
The S Line exterior package is made up by unique bumpers and distinctive features on the side air intakes, on the diffuser and on the tailpipes, side sill trims painted in the body color and S line badges on the door sill trims and the front fenders.
The following is the price list, for the German market:
2.0 TDI with 6-speed manual transmission: 36,050 euros 2.7 TDI with 6-speed manual transmission: 39,300 euros 3.0 TDI quattro with 7-speed S tronic: 47,950 euros 2.0 TFSI (132 kW / 180 hp) with 6-speed manual transmission: 33,650 euros 2.0 TFSI (155 kW / 211 hp) quattro with 7-speed S tronic: 42,150 euros 3.2 FSI quattro with S tronic: 47,000 euros
This means that unless Audi has another surprise up its sleeves, the four-door coupe derivative of the A5 is most probably the new model that the maker said its preparing to unveil during the celebrative festivities for the firm's 100th anniversary in Germany on July 16.
As for the brand new A8 sedan (see the spy shots here), Stadler said claimed that it will be the sportiest model in its segment and that it will redefine people's notions of a luxury car's interior.
