SPY SHOTS: New Audi RS5 Convertible Spotted Testing

In September, following the opening of the Frankfurt Motor Show, we broke the story on the official design patents of the new Audi RS5 Convertible. Now, only a few weeks after, we have the first spy pictures of a test mule caught near the Nürburgring track in Germany.

This prototype is based on the S5 Convertible but features the front end complete with wider tracks and a modified bumper from the RS5. If you're wondering what the production model will look like, you can check out the patent images in our previous post.

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Official: Audi Applies Trademarks for New RS5 Cabriolet

While Audi never officially talked about the possibility of presenting a convertible version of its RS5 sports car, the idea has been circulating around the internet ever since the debut of the coupe.

But now we have concrete evidence that Audi will most likely go ahead and very soon introduce an RS5 Cabriolet to its lineup thanks to these official trademark fillings obtained by Carscoop.

The images provide us with a 360-degree view of the roofless RS5 (in facelift form, as you may have noticed) that will feature seating for four and the same electrically operated fabric top as the A5 and S5 convertibles, the refreshed versions of which made their world premiere in Frankfurt last week.

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Senner Tuning Beefs up the Audi S5 Sportback

The crew over at Senner Tuning have pointed their guns on the pre-facelift Audi S5 Sportback with the release of a new package that aims to improve both the performance and styling aspects of Ingolstadt's liftback model.

Underhood, the S5's 3.0-liter TSI V6 gains a software optimization, a new air filter and a custom exhaust system, all of which do their part to lift output from 333HP and 440Nm to 445-horses and 530Nm (390.9 lb-ft) of peak torque.

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IAA 2011: Audi Presents New A5 Coupe DTM Racer in the Flesh

Audi certainly has a rich history in the Deutche Tourenwagen Masters, the German touring car championship, more commonly known as the DTM. From the 1990 V8 quattro until today’s A4, the four-ring brand has raced only four-door models.

This is about to change as Inglostandt's new contender in the DTM is based on the A5 Coupe. Making its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this week, Audi’s 2012 racer was developed around three principles: maximum safety, 40% reduction of costs and an impressive bodywork design.

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IAA 2011: Audi Presents Facelifted RS 5 Coupé

If you just ordered the RS 5 Coupé, you may want to skip this article… A little over a year after its market launch in Europe in late spring of 2010, but luckily for North American consumers, a few months before the sales launch, Audi has presented a mild cosmetic facelift for its performance model that follows in the lines of the rest of the updated A5 and S5 series. Read more »

Project Kahn Spiffs up the Audi A5 Coupe

British designer Afzal Kahn has presented a new take on the (pre-facelift) Audi A5 Coupe. The tune starts with a matt pearl gray finish enhanced with a bodykit that adds R8-style front and rear vented bumpers, a new front grille finished in black with a red surround and a rear boot lid spoiler.

The final touches come via the quad tail pipes, tinted windows, 21-inch matt black lightweight alloy wheels and a lowered suspension that gives the car a more aggressive stance.

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New Audi A5 Coupe DTM Racing Concept to Replace A4 Sedan from 2012

Get excited DTM fans because there’s a new kid coming to town. We’re talking about Audi’s freshly revealed A5 Coupe racecar, internally named “R17,” that will replace the four-door A4 with which Audi has conquered the DTM title four times since 2004.

Ingolstadt’s new touring model is based on the facelifted A5 Coupe that was presented earlier this week and it complies with the new technical and safety regulations that will come in effect in the German touring model championship next year.

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2012 Audi S5 Range Updated, Coupe Drops 4.2 V8 in Favor of Supercharged V6

Along with the introduction of the regular versions of its refreshed A5 series, Audi also presented the updated S5 range. The most important change concerns the S5 Coupe in which the outgoing model’s naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 engine with 354-horses and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft) is replaced with the same 3.0-liter supercharged V6 found in the Sportback and Convertible S5s. Read more »

2012 Audi A5 Coupe, Convertible and Sportback Receive a Mild Facelift

Audi today unveiled the facelifted versions of its A5 range which includes the Coupe, the Sportback and Cabriolet models. The company’s goal was to freshen up the A5’s exterior looks and to improve both their driving dynamics and fuel economy.

The 2012 Audi A5 range is available exclusively with direct injection engines featuring forced induction and stop-start and energy regeneration system as standard. As a result, Audi says fuel consumption has been decreased across the range by 11% on average and CO2 emissions by as much as 22%.

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Project Kahn Changes its Tune, Turns its Focus on Audi A5 Convertible

If you like Project Kahn’s tunes but would like to see something other than its Land Rover projects, you’ll be happy to know that the British styling house has turned its attention on the Audi A5 Convertible.

The styling package comprises of an aerodynamic kit that includes front and rear vented bumpers imitating the look of R8 sports car with mesh inserts, an available rear spoiler and a stainless steel sports quad exhaust system.

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STaSIS Engineering Gives the Audi S5 Cabriolet a Power Boost

North American aftermarket specialist STaSIS Engineering has released a new performance package for the Audi S5 Cabriolet in the UK. The STaSIS Engineering S5 Cabriolet Challenge Edition features an upgrade kit that includes an engine tune, Ohlins performance suspension, monobloc brake calipers and a limited-slip differential. Read more »

BMW 3-Series Still Top Dog despite Strong Competition

In the ingloriously named, “small premium car segment”, the BMW 3-Series is king. A good all-rounder with sporting pretensions and cred, a nice assortment of engine and equipment options, and perhaps most importantly, a variety of body styles including a coupe and station wagon derivative that have ensured its market supremacy.

All 3-Series models are doing their bit to keep sales high. According to a study released by R.L. Polk & Co., from 2008 through this past February, the 3-Series sedan covered around 60 percent of the model's retail registrations, with the coupe, convertible and station wagon versions accounting for the rest of the sales.

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Senner Tuning's Audi S5 'White Beast' Does its best Wendigo impression

Senner Tuning has released its take on Audi's S5 Coupe. The call it the White Beast - apparently the Germans learned their "lesson" after last year's "White Power" RS6...

It wears a wide-inlet front fascia, while the rear apron comes from Rieger (done in "carbon look", something I wouldn't want on a Jetta, let alone an S5).

Can you guess what's coming next? Yup, there's also a lip spoiler on the trunk and LED tail lights. "But this is still not enough. As the name "White Beast" implies, not only the optics but also the engine power have been upgraded." And away we go.

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2011 Audi RS5 Coupe Brochure with Plenty of Photos Leaked

A German agency appears to have mistakenly released the official brochure of the new Audi RS5 Coupe ahead of time as the car's world premiere isn't due for another week or so at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2.

The high-resolution photos from the leaflet show that the RS5 Coupe gets its own unique body treatment to differentiate it from the less powerful S5 Coupe.

Look closely and you'll be able to spot the slightly blistered wheel arches that hark back to the original Quattro coupe, the new front bumper with larger air vents at each corner, the honeycomb grille without the horizontal bar, the redesigned rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and the two large oval tail pipes.

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ABT Powers Up and Stylizes New Audi A5 Sportback

ABT Sporstline has built its reputation on modifying just about anything on four wheels that comes out of the VW Group's plants. Their newest proposal concerns the Audi A5 Sportback which has been modified with a variety of aesthetic and performance goodies.

The tuner jazzes up the five door coupe's appearance with numerous aero add-ons, including a new front bumper, ABT's trademark grille, front fender air-vents and a rear apron with a diffuser shrouding chrome exhaust tips.

Customers can choose between 18-inch and 20-inch alloy rims which are available in two different designs.

For the time being, ABT offers power kits only for the A5 Sportback with the 2.0 TSI petrol and the 3.0 TDI diesel engines.

After the tuner gets its way with the powerplants, the entry-level 2.0 TSI's output is boosted from 180HP to a hardy 275HP while the 3.0-liter V6 diesel can be lifted from 240HP to either 282HP or 310HP. The most powerful version of the V6 diesel hits the 100km/h (62mph) mark in 5.8 seconds.

The tuner finishes off the package with a sport suspension and a high-performance braking system with either 345 mm or 380 mm disks and eight piston calipers.

2010 Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolet: 25 High-Res Photos and Official Details

Audi has lifted the covers on the all-new A5 and S5 Cabriolet models (way) ahead of their worldwide debut at the Geneva Motorshow in March 2009. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe in Spring 2009 with the U.S. following in Fall of the same year, the A5/S5 Cabriolets will replace the long-lived, open-top variant of the A4. Even though most of the competition in the category like the BMW 3-Series Convertible, Infiniti G37 Convertible and Lexus IS 250C have opted for retractable hardtops, Audi has chosen a fully automatic classic fabric top that opens in 15 sec and closes in 17 sec.

At launch, the four-seater convertible will be offered with three gasoline and two diesel engines. These include the 2.7-litre and 3.0-litre V6 diesels with outputs of 190HP and 240HP respectively, two 2.0-litre TFSI petrol units with 180HP and 211HP and a 3.2-litre V6 FSI petrol with 265HP. Available power trains include a six-speed manual transmission, the continuously variable multitronic, and the dual-clutch seven-speed S tronic. In addition to front-wheel drive, Audi also offers quattro permanent all-wheel drive for the higher-power engine

As we have already informed you, the range-topping S5 Cabriolet will benefit from the S4's newly developed, supercharged, three-liter V6 engine which will also replace the current S5 Coupe's 4.2L V8 in 2009. The power output tops out at 333HP while the torque between 2,900 and 5,300 rpm remains constant at a hefty 440 Nm (324.53 lb-ft).

The 3.0 TSI V6 will be available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or the seven-speed dual clutch S-Tronic transmission. The S5 Cabriolet goes from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.6 and accelerates up to a preset top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph). According to the German firm, the drop-top S5 achieves an average fuel consumption of 9.6 liters per 100 km (24.5 US mpg).

In Europe, where the A5 Cabriolet will be also be offered with an entry-level 1.8 TSI gasoline engine delivering 160HP, prices will start at €37,300. Delivery of the first A5 Cabriolet models will begin in the second quarter of 2009.