Audi readies pair of ragtops
UPDATED: The Audi new-product blitz that we reported on earlier this year is starting to take shape, and the latest word is that the forthcoming A5 and A7 coupes will be matched with cabriolet models.First up will be an open-air version of the A5, which will appear in late 2008, a year after the debut of the A5 Coupe. Further down the road, the A7 Coupe, launching in late 2010, will be matched by a cabriolet model in mid-2011. Bucking the current trend to folding hardtops, the current plans for the A5 and A7 cabs call for a traditional soft top, although a hardtop alternative is being considered.
Both the A5 and A7 are niche-market cars based on the A4 and A6 models, respectively, sharing powertrains and running gear with their mass-market siblings.
The two-door A5 offers classic 2+2 seating, with automatically deploying roll bars to protect the rear seat passengers. The A7 Cabriolet will be a true four-seater, featuring rear suicide doors to facilitate rear seat access while maintaining chassis stiffness in the big convertible.
[Source: AUTO BILD]
UPDATE: Images removed upon the request of AUTO BILD, follow link to view.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
adb 8:34PM (9/05/2006)
Right. A four-door, suicide-door convertible. Perhaps if it weighed 6,000lbs once you upfit it to meet the world's lengthly list of safety regs.
Y'know, you boys might want to offer a dose of common sense to readers who would otherwise believe everything they read on the web.
The A5 is a done deal; Audi's all but issued the press release. The A7 convertible is somebody's well-intentioned but ill-informed fantasy.
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Steve S 1:19PM (9/07/2006)
4 door convertible sweet!
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snakesausage 8:36PM (9/05/2006)
Wow the A5 is really striking!
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mike 9:02PM (9/05/2006)
AutoBild seems always to have the best looking concepts and this is Audi is no exception. Where are they getting their images from? Of all pre-production pictures of the Cayman, AutoBild's was the best looking. The same is true for the VW Scirocco. It seems like there have been about four different concepts of the VW Scirocco. Too bad VW has moved away from the one pictured in autobild.
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crazy88since88 9:05PM (9/05/2006)
See Here! Clear proof that those Bulls@#t Bentleys are garbage! I will NEVER pay 160k for a freakin AUDI/Bentley/VW airbag having, shifter sharing W12 out of Germany! But I’d consider that New Azure! LOL.
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idave 9:08PM (9/05/2006)
A5 will be a great looking car, ok performance, but niched to hell because it will cost way too much. I can't see Audi putting this on the street for south of $50k.
It will be for the driver who wants someting a little more exclusive than a 3-series convert, and willing to spend an extra $10k.
Dave
http://www.itakepropecia.com
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Carchops 9:21PM (9/05/2006)
Those are amazing looking cars
audi's new line all look great!
I love the entire front end :)
http://www.carchops.com
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Greg A. 10:26PM (9/05/2006)
Since the A5 will be based on the A4, what will happen to the A4 Cabrio, which finally comes out on the current A4 chassis this fall (at least in the U.S.)? (It may be available in Europe already.) Will the A4 be redesigned for calendar year 2008, when the A5 Cabrio comes out?
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gkz 11:28PM (9/05/2006)
in the vein of full disclosure, i personally love audi's current styling trend... however, these renderings are pure conjecture.
it's silly to form opinions based on renderings produced by any artist not employed by audi a.g.
also, i'd suspect these cars will be based on the next-gen platforms with the new engine mount locations.
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DPC car videos 11:55PM (9/05/2006)
Love the A5 look, hope they will have a ore powerfull "S" model in the lineup.
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Elias 11:56PM (9/05/2006)
Funny how the backdrop of one of those photoshopped pictures is of the cruise ships at the Port of Miami.
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Dr. Woo 7:44AM (9/06/2006)
"also, i'd suspect these cars will be based on the next-gen platforms with the new engine mount locations."
New engine mount locations? As in something other than longitudinally forward-mounted?
If so...more info?
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gkz 3:41PM (9/07/2006)
#11 -
I've read, sorry i can't remember the sources without going back through a bunch of mags, that audi is re-engineering their powertrains and awd systems for the next round of new models in order to mount the engine further back in the car to improve the weight balance. I think they consider this the last major hurdle in the quest to match bmw
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