Audi's press conference for the 2008 Audi A5 moved along at an unusually brisk clip. No rehash of previous-year sales figures, just a quick overview of the company's efforts to drop CO2 emissions and raise fuel economy through its TDI power plants. Then, Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of Audi AG, offered this slightly awkward transition: "The Audi A5 has a gear upshift indicator that tells the driver when to shift gears in order to minimize fuel consumption. The driver is after all responsible for 50% of fuel consumption."
An upshift light in a luxury coupe? Well, most U.S. buyers will end up with the automatic transmission anyway. That automatic is actually a CVT, by the way, though it has eight simulated forward gears. The quattro all-wheel-drive system, as we suspected, will be standard on all U.S.-spec Audi A5s. We're still not sure Audi's 3.2-liter V6, the only engine slated for the A5, will be enough to fend off BMW's 335i coupe, but says Karsten Ruwoldt, an Audi product planner, "the A5 is more distinctive [from the A4 sedan] than the 3 Series coupe is from the 3 Series sedan."
We expect Walter de'Silva, chief designer on the A5, shares that sentiment. Speaking in Italian in a short film on the project, he offered, "I am convinced the Audi A5 is the most beautiful car I've ever designed in my career." Mr. de'Silva, by the way, is now head of VW design, so this was his last assignment for Audi.
Although we can't deny that the A5's bodywork is sleek, the coupe's interior furnishings are more stunning in our opinion. Their lineage in the A4/A6 line is apparent, but the laterally bolstered cream seats and matching floor mats really set the A5 apart.
The V8-equipped 2008 Audi S5 was also introduced this morning, of course, but it was mobbed after the press conference, impeding our efforts to get some decent photography. We'll post images later today. If crowd enthusiasm is any indication, though, the sales balance on this coupe may swing more heavily in favor of the S5 than one might expect. Look for Audi's new coupes to go on sale in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2007. --Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
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