Rendered Speculation: 2009 Audi A4
AudiWorld has confirmed with sources at Audi that the next generation A4 will indeed debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in about four months. Not surprisingly, the new A4 will share much of its look with the recently released A5 coupe. These renderings by Matt Daniels show what basically look like four-door versions of the A5. The cars have a charachter line along the side sheetmetal that bows upward over the slightly flared fenders. The line appears on the A5 and is one element that has certainly softened the Audi design language a bit, and we think it works just as well on the A4.
Just as the A5 benefitted from what Audi calls its Modular Longitudinal Platform, so too will the A4 be set atop a chassis that moves the engine and transmission farther back, allowing designers to push the front wheels out further and reduce Audi's infamous amount of front overhang. Thus, the A4's wheelbase will increase dramatically while the overall length budges only an inch. That extra wheelbase length will also add a much needed 1-inch improvement in rear legroom, as well. The new A4 will also get more LED lighting technology than any other Audi besides the trick R8. LED taillamps will be standard, while LED daytime running lights will be optional on some models and standard on the S4.
More can be found after the jump, and click the Read link to view more renderings of the 2009 Audi A4.
[Source: Audi World]
While the A4's engine range is not expected to change much, the entire model lineup will be altered to accept new models entering Audi's portfolio. For instance, the A4 and S4 Cabriolet will be axed in favor of the A5 and S5 drop tops, while some speculate the A4 and S4 Avants might make way for the new Q5 CUV, though it could be argued an Avant and CUV are different enough to support their own set of sales numbers. Either way, the new A4 and its many models will be the most capable ever produced by Audi.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steve 12:46PM (5/21/2007)
If this does happen then BMW and Mercedes has some work to do.
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bmoredlj 1:35PM (5/21/2007)
I really don't think the new A4 and A4 Avant will simply be an A5 with an extra set of doors slapped on. It just looks frumpy. The side straking that dips in the middle looks good on the coupe, but on the sedan reminds me strongly of the current Hyundai Elantra (although that car goes a bit too far with it). I think Audi will be penning a different design entirely rather than copying the A5 and adding doors.
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foo 1:38PM (5/21/2007)
steve: although the movement of the engine and tranny further back will definitely help the A4, they still need to overcome the weight problem that plagues a lot of the Quattro equipped cars. Plus they need to bump up the engine's hp for the base model to make it more inline w/ the competition
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bgdc 1:44PM (5/21/2007)
If only they'd make a RWD car! Seriously. They make stunning looking cars. The interiors are first rate and that DSG/2.0T combo is delicious. I dig our A3 but in the end it's the FWD that makes me happy to move away from the car (and it's the fiancee's car). RWD and Audi could = bliss for me. FWD = boredom and AWD = hell.
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jjd 1:50PM (5/21/2007)
bgdc, have you driven a 2006 or newer S4 or RS4 with manual transmission? Their quattro awd systems are tuned to have 60% of the power sent to the rear wheels while 40% is sent to the front, giving it a rear wheel bias. Give it a try -- it might not be the hell you think it is.
(I have a 2006 S4 and love it.)
--Jim--
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Don 2:21PM (5/21/2007)
These renders mean absolutely nothing.
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bgdc 2:31PM (5/21/2007)
jjd, I have not driven the RS4 or S4; I'm not a fan of V8s or the obscene asking price/depreciation of the current Audi RS4/S4.
I'm not going to spend 70k on a car that sells its low end A4 for under 30k. The gulf is too wide for the same model.
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Brooks 3:03PM (5/21/2007)
Ugh. Ouch.
The last thing Audi needs is to "soften its design language." Audi's resurgence can be attributed in large part to their edgy, modern, aggressive design. And now, just when Mercedes and BMW are waking up and designing breathtaking cars (Merc CLS, BMW CS), Audi wants to go and reinvent the drab-but-huge-looking Lincoln Town Car?
Never mess with success. Refine it, maybe, but always keep in mind what got you there. Someone needs to smack Audi's designers around and remind them of this key principle.
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JDL 3:45PM (5/21/2007)
I've driven both the S4 and RS4 on the street and track. While the 60/40 split is evident, particulary on the RS4 with the stability control turned off, these are still nose-heavy, AWD cars.
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Marvelous 4:11PM (5/21/2007)
The Audis are nose heavy ,but going rear-drive would go against the Audi name itself. I bought my Audi because of it's superior all-wheel drive system(and it is superior),but around the twisties the 60/40 split does help......I still dont know why people called Audi interiors the best, I have an 05' and everything is peeling....everything buttons, dash, door panels etc. The lay-out is good ,but it means nothing if it looks like shit within a year or two.
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adam 3:19PM (5/27/2007)
You must be using harsh chemicals because I have an 02 A4 3.0 quattro and my buttons are just now starting to peel. After 5 years that is acceptable I think. I have been in many luxy cars and AUdi's by far the most superior.
Tool 5:25PM (5/21/2007)
If I were BMW or Mercedes-Benz, I would be very, very scared. Not only does Audi have the best looking and best executed interiors, the exterior design is now as good.
Now if the performance was up one-notch and the dealer network better, then Audi would be a real competitor in the U.S.
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Russ 7:29PM (5/21/2007)
Respectfully Tool, I've got to disagree. I think BMW has the nicest looking interiors (3,5,6 series not so much on the 7), but the execution part is up for grabs.
As far as the renderings go, I like the A4's look more than the 3-series, but we'll see what production looks like.
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Russ 7:35PM (5/21/2007)
I take the 'I like the new a4 better than the current 3' comment back. I followed the link and saw the renderings directly from the side and don't like it so much. It's something with the big front end, that I don't like.
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sfast 12:47AM (5/22/2007)
Yummy!
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David 3:48AM (5/22/2007)
2 words, Audi Impala
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Marvelous 8:07AM (5/22/2007)
^^^if thats what the Impala is gonna look like sign me up
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Val 8:54AM (5/22/2007)
Audi has no reason to go RWD, BMW and Mercedes have been doing that forever, and so is Lexus and Infiniti. If you want a RWD car, pick one of those, if audi starts makin RWD only cars, they will just align themselves to compete more directly with those brands and will probabyl not sell more cars than they do now. Its the quattro that sets them apart from the rest. Don't fix it unless it's broken, and while Audis are not perfect, they are workong on sorting out the minor problems, and still have great sales.
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otto mobeel 8:15AM (5/24/2007)
"jjd, I have not driven the RS4 or S4; I'm not a fan of V8s or the obscene asking price/depreciation of the current Audi RS4/S4.
I'm not going to spend 70k on a car that sells its low end A4 for under 30k. The gulf is too wide for the same model."
Dude, if you haven't driven the RS4 then don't even attempt to put it in the league of an A4. The RS4 shares the 4 simply because of the chasse, which by the way is used by Audi to win in the DTM series races in Germany.
The RS4 is so many leagues above an A4 that it is not even funny. It's considered by many to be one of the greatest cars of modern times, its engine is a masterpiece.
In fact the car is a bargain. Edmunds recently chose it over a BMW M5, which when fully loaded is upwards of $20k more than the RS4. But I guess you wouldn't consider that either since the "the gulf is too wide for the same model", the 5 series.
Whatever.
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KML 6:48PM (5/27/2007)
What? What is this button-peeling you speak of? I've owned quite a handful of Audis in my time, from 92 - 03, and not a single one have exhibited any problems with the interior. Take care of your cars.