Audi plans A5, S5 cabriolets for next fall
Dec 2, 2008 | 08:00 PM
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Audi plans A5, S5 cabriolets for next fall Audi is sticking with soft tops as it expands its popular A5 family to include convertibles. The all-new A5 Cabriolet and its more powerful S5 sibling will be available only with lightweight fabric tops when they go on sale in the United States next fall as 2010 models. The convertibles will replace the A4 and S4 cabriolets.
Audi says the fabric top with the large glass rear window fits more smoothly into the four-seater's design profile than the retractable hard tops being adopted by many of its competitors. Chief among them is BMW, whose 3-series convertible is available only with a retractable hard top. Another rival, Mercedes-Benz, plans to discontinue its soft-top CLK Cabriolet after 2010 and replace it with a convertible based on the new E class.
The soft-top construction of the A5 and S5 is lighter than that of a hard top, Audi said in a press release. That helps boost the convertibles' fuel economy, which Audi says is "significantly improved" over the A4 models.
For example, the A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine will get 15 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing 2009 A4 Cabriolet 2.0T, said Audi spokesman Christian Bokich.
That's despite an increase in performance. The 2.0 TFSI offers 211 hp and 258 pounds-feet of torque, compared with 200 hp and 207 pounds-feet of torque for the comparable A4 Cabriolet. The A5 Cabriolet also will be available in a 3.2-liter direct-injection V-6, with standard all-wheel drive. The S5 Cabriolet 3.0 TFSI supercharged V-6 will put out 333 hp and 325 pounds-feet of torque.
The convertibles will be built on Audi's new modular longitudinal vehicle platform at its factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, near Stuttgart.The A4 versions were assembled by Wilhelm Karmann GmbH in Osnabrueck, Germany.
Audi says the fabric top with the large glass rear window fits more smoothly into the four-seater's design profile than the retractable hard tops being adopted by many of its competitors. Chief among them is BMW, whose 3-series convertible is available only with a retractable hard top. Another rival, Mercedes-Benz, plans to discontinue its soft-top CLK Cabriolet after 2010 and replace it with a convertible based on the new E class.
The soft-top construction of the A5 and S5 is lighter than that of a hard top, Audi said in a press release. That helps boost the convertibles' fuel economy, which Audi says is "significantly improved" over the A4 models.
For example, the A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine will get 15 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing 2009 A4 Cabriolet 2.0T, said Audi spokesman Christian Bokich.
That's despite an increase in performance. The 2.0 TFSI offers 211 hp and 258 pounds-feet of torque, compared with 200 hp and 207 pounds-feet of torque for the comparable A4 Cabriolet. The A5 Cabriolet also will be available in a 3.2-liter direct-injection V-6, with standard all-wheel drive. The S5 Cabriolet 3.0 TFSI supercharged V-6 will put out 333 hp and 325 pounds-feet of torque.
The convertibles will be built on Audi's new modular longitudinal vehicle platform at its factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, near Stuttgart.The A4 versions were assembled by Wilhelm Karmann GmbH in Osnabrueck, Germany.
