03-09-2007, 09:54 PM
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| Fourtitude retrospect on the A5 launch @ Geneva.
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Geneva this week was unseasonably warm. As the Swiss populace walked round without their coats and skiers only hit the higher-altitude slopes atop the nearby Alps, the mercury in local thermometers was climbing to seldom-seen heights for this time of year. Also bringing the heat in Geneva was Audi, with the 2-door splash of its A5 and S5 coupes, followed by ripples of other news from the brand, specialty car manufacturers who build models with Audi drivelines and even some aftermarket tuners.
Audi A5 and S5
The Volkswagen Group began the first of two days of press launches with a flurry of its own. Audi, second on the docket, began their press reveal promptly at 8AM Geneva. Space was tight, with standing room only thanks to an extremely large gathering of press. Newly named head of Audi AG Rupert Stadler introduced the car, along with notable event attendees including Dr. Ferdinand Piech, Dr. Martin Winterkorn, 6-time Le Mans winner and Audi ambassador Jackie Ickx and the techno group Yello who’d written the score to which the A5 would be shown.
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Shortly thereafter a silver A5 rolled out onto the stage and out stepped outgoing Audi Brand Group design chief Walter de’Silva. de’Silva emotionally presented the car, billing it as what he thought to be his best work to date. The Italian design chief mentioned that he’d been happiest with the car’s completed look, having been given a “few extra weeks” to nail down some finalized detailing and perfect the car’s form.
He later explained the car further at a group dinner for American journalists. de'Silva said it was a simple design, and one that didn’t need a lot of contrasting lines or details. Good simple design, he explained, should be recognizable from the drawing of just two or three lines. He then lovingly sketched the A5 in profile, along with a rear view, to show how he could capture the car’s form with ease. To further make his point, he also drew quick sketches of other successful designs of this nature: the Alfa Romeo Guilietta Spyder and the Alfa Romeo Duetto.
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Back on the show stand, the A5 and S5 show themselves with muscular beauty. A character line with pronounced cut edge runs down each car’s shoulder, reminding us however minutely of the same hard-edged lines on the top of the original Quattro’s flared fenders. Also seemingly a reminder of the original Quattro coupe were the squared off rectangular lights of the A5/S5.
Three examples were on display in the Audi stand. Two matching grey A5s with khaki leather interior appeared nearly identical on polished 5-spoke alloys, though one was fitted with the company’s latest version of the 3.2 FSI V6 with valvetronic and the other with Audi’s 3.0 commonrail TDI.
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A silver S5 was also on hand, arriving on the stage second carrying Audi AG’s board member in charge of development Michael Dick. The S5 sported a black interior with light grey sport seats and Audi’s new aluminum and mesh interior trim that is expected to do duty in both the S5 and the B8 S4
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Like many modern Audi designs, pictures do not do these two cars justice. Also like other modern designs, we’d guess they will look even better out on the road. Though shown here only on the stand, the A5 and S5 both drew large crowds, leaving the Audi stand rarely empty.
Particularly bold on Audi’s part is the presence of the A5. Tossing the traditional idea of launching an S-car late to keep things changing, Audi AG boss Rupert Stadler later commented that Audi felt a synonymous launch of a coupe and S-version fit the personalities of these bold new coupes and the current intrepid positioning of the Audi brand.
In person, the A5 is slightly larger than a B7 A4. No one has seen the new B8-based A4 yet, but we’d guess that the A5 and S5 will be closer in size to the A4 than the A6, which it is also sandwiched between based on its nomenclature.
The A5 and S5 coupes will launch simultaneously in the U.S. market, arriving in the Fall with a November timeframe probable. The A5 will first appear with only the 3.2 V6 in and the S5 with the 4.2. Manual transmissions and quattro drivetrains will be all that is offered until a Tiptronic version of the A5 comes along four months later in early 2008.
We’ve heard very solid information regarding a DSG transmission for the S5, and possible even for the A5. However, additional sources tell us the quick-shifting dual-clutch setup may not come to the U.S. Those not wanting to row their own gears in the S5, we’re toldm will have a quick-shifting option, though it is supposedly “nothing we’ve seen before.”
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