 Luxury Cars: Audi will be releasing a host of models in the coming years to expand into new segments as it attempts to topple BMW and Mercedes in the quest to sell more than a 1.5 million vehicles by 2015. Some of the cars in the pipeline include the A1 premium hatch, A7 four-door coupe and a Sportback version of the current A5 Coupe.
According to these latest renderings, the A5 Sportback will feature a five-door configuration but will be much sleeker than traditional Audi Avant wagons. The design appears almost like a four-door coupe but the roomy cabin, tall profile, and sloping hatchback style rear-door ensures the Sportback sits in its own niche.
The base model will remain FWD but AWD variants will feature the latest quattro torque vectoring systems, which distribute drive individually between each axle and between the rear wheels for improved traction and stability. Power will come from the same engines used in the regular A5 lineup, with a 4.2L FSI V8 expected to appear in a range-topping RS5 model.
Though it seems odd that Audi would build the A5 Sportback with five doors considering part of the A5's appeal is its coupe bodystyle, Audi boss Rupert Stadler's boast that up to 18 new models will be launched by 2015 suggests that almost every niche will be filled.
Expect to see the A5 Sportback launched in the second half of next year. Before that Audi will launch a convertible version of the A5, which could be revealed as early as next week at the Paris Motor Show but is more likely to be early next year.
By Alex Kaufmann
Motor Authority |
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