2009 Audi A4/A5 aimed squarely at 3-Series

Despite the new A4 having arrived fairly recently, Audi is already thinking ahead to the next revision planned for the 2009MY. Automobile reports that the next A4 will have "taut, slab-sided sheetmetal", a description that to our ears has become a bit cliché in this post aerodynamic-jellybean market. The big news is that the A4 sedan will be accompanied by an A5 coupe and convertible with a cloth top. The October 2005 issue of Automobile has an artist's renderings of the next A4 sedan and A5 convertible. The current model's styling has been panned in some circles not just for Audi's new nose, but also the larger front and rear overhangs that make the car appear much larger and less agile than the previous version.