Audi Teases with A5 Sportback

The drive to plug more niche markets gains ground with the latest revelation being Audi's A5 Sportback concept. It will be shown at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

While the third member of the A5 model range's styling is rather odd, Audi describes it as a "milestone in car design" and something that is "as elegant as a coupe, comfortable as a sedan and practical as an avant".

According to the manufacturer, that has released just a teaser image and sketch of the car, the five-door A5 Sportback (which eschews the classic two-door arrangement seen on the Coupe and Cabriolet models) has an elongated profile with a large hatchback dominating the rear. A spoiler lip and diffuser insert provide athletic appeal.

The coupe-like roofline tapers toward the rear of the car and is lower than the A4 sedan by 36mm. Despite this, Audi claims passengers at the rear will enjoy head- and legroom comparable to that seen on the A4. A5 Sportback seats four occupants only, though.

Its interesting styling and large hatch also ensure a load area of 480 l that swells to 980 l with the rear seats folded down. Nearly equal to the A4 Avant, the manufacturer says.

In Europe, the A5 Sportback will be offered with a range of EU5-compliant petrol and turbodiesel engines. These include the familiar 2.0 TFSI and 3.2-litre V6 units as well as the 2.0 TDI, 2.7 TDI and 176-kW three-litre V6 TDI.

The A5 Sportback will feature a new ESP system with electronic differential lock on the front axles for better steering response.

The new car will also be equipped with Audi's drive select system that allows the driver to choose between different modes influencing the throttle response, shift points on the S tronic and multitronic transmissions and tightens the servotronic steering.

The production version of the A5 Sportback is expected to arrive in South Africa in the first quarter of 2010.