AUDI A5 AND S5 SPORTBACK

Blending elegant and emotive coupé design with impressive family car functionality and comfort has long been the forté of the sleek Audi A5 Sportback. Seven years and more than 340,000 units later, the 2016 Paris Motor Show will play host to the world premiere of the all-new second generation model, which further refines the ‘best of both worlds’ concept with even more tightly wrought lines, a completely new platform, the very latest engine, transmission and quattro drive developments and a host of contemporary driver assistance and infotainment systems.

Sharing the stage at Paris will be the flagship Audi S5 Sportback, which draws upon a new V6 turbocharged TFSI powerplant to deliver a hefty 354PS and 500Nm of torque from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm. From rest, it will blast past 62mph in only 4.7 seconds and can reach a limited top speed of 155mph.

Audi designers have brought together dramatic shapes and taut surfaces to update the new A5 Sportback, creating a familiar yet completely contemporary silhouette for the five-door coupé design that retains the original’s unmistakable road presence.  

The stretched wheelbase, short overhangs and long, wraparound bonnet featuring a power dome emphasise the dynamism of the five-door coupé silhouette. The three-dimensional Singleframe grille is significantly flatter and wider than on the previous model.

The wave-pattern shoulder line is a key contributor to the A5 Sportback’s elegant stance. It is even more strongly accentuated than on the previous model and traces all three dimensions, creating an interplay of light and shadow. The pronounced bulges over the wheel arches underscore the quattro DNA. The rear end exhibits horizontal, equally highly precise styling. The stretched luggage compartment lid terminates with a characteristic spoiler edge.

The appearance of the new S5 Sportback follows the form of Audi S models and is subtle yet appropriately brawny. The bumper, air inlets and side sills feature distinctive contours. Many of the S-specific styling additions are painted in graduated tones of matt grey. Aluminium inlays accentuate the design inside, while the exterior mirror housings shine in an aluminium look. The rear bumper integrates a black honeycomb grille, aluminium diffuser trim and the signature four tailpipes. A spoiler lip in body colour adorns the separating edge of the luggage compartment lid.

In 2015 Audi achieved best ever worldwide sales of 1,803,250 cars, a 3.6 per cent improvement over 2014. Sales in the UK increased by five per cent year-on-year to 166,709 cars. To maintain this strong performance the brand has embarked upon an investment programme that will channel a total of €24 billion into new model development and innovative technologies by 2019. Audi lives up to its corporate responsibility and has strategically established the principle of sustainability for its products and processes. The long-term goal is CO2-neutral mobility. This philosophy also applies to the brand’s sports car racing activities, in which Audi made history in 2012 by winning the Le Mans 24-hour race using pioneering hybrid diesel technology in the R18 e-tron quattro. It went on to repeat the performance in the 2013 and 2014 races, taking the total number of Audi victories there to 13.