Audi announced the A4 Cabrio’s production is coming to an end just last month, so the A5 convertible will be the maker’s entry-level drop-top in North America. The model is scheduled for a premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January of 2009. This is confirmed by a photo and reports of Audi’s model rollout schedule for the next five years that was printed in enthusiast publication, and has since been published on the web. Among the model releases is an A5 convertible and nary a mention of the seventh generation A4 drop-top.
The A5 convertible — which will go head-to-head with the BMW 328i convertible – should begin production in late 2008 in time for an early 2009 launch. Following the launch of the A5, Audi will begin producing the S5 convertible to compete with BMW’s 330i convertible. However, unlike the BMW hardtop convertibles, the Audis will do with a more conventional soft top to keep costs and weight down.
Power for the A5 cabrio is expected to be sourced from a 3.2L FSI V6 — with Europe getting two optional diesel powerplants — while the S5 will get a V8 with around 350 horsepower.
We summarized the schedule for you, noting the model introduction or update, its launch date and where it will be produced, which came courtesy of enthusiast mag Quattro Quarterly.
A3 facelift - June 2008 - Brussels/Changchun
Q5 - July 2008 - Ingolstadt/Changchun
TT-S - August 2008 - Gyor
R8 V10 - September 2008 - Neckarsulm
Q7 Hybrid - December 2008 - Bratislava
A5 Cabrio - January 2009 - Ingolstadt
RS5 - February 2009 - Neckarsulm
R8 Targa - March 2009 - Neckarsulm
A7 Coupe - June 2009 - Neckarsulm
Q3 - July 2009 - Changchun
TT-RS - August 2009 - Gyor
A5 Sportback - September 2009 - Ingolstadt
A1 - December 2009 - Brussels
Q5 Hybrid - February 2010 - Ingolstadt/Changchun
D4 A8 - June 2010 - Neckarsulm
A3 - October 2010 - Brussels/Ingolstadt
A7 Cabrio - January 2011 - Neckarsulm
C7 A6 - January 2011 - Neckarsulm/Changchun/Vogosca
C7 A6 Avant - May 2011 - Neckarsulm/Changchun
R4 - June 2011 - Unknown
A1 Cabrio - October 2011 - Brussels
A4 facelift - January 2012 - Ingolstadt/Changchun
03/12, 2:49 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Audi does a good job of pretending to build cars for enthusiasts, and the people who buy them do a good job of pretending to be enthusiasts.
03/12, 3:12 PM
posted by:
roger426
^Your an idiot…Audi is one of the most impressive car manufactures in the world…Audi has a huge following, because they are classy and luxury based cars built for “ENTHUSIASTS”…people who enjoy driving.
03/12, 3:20 PM
posted by:
SmegmaVajayjay
Enthusiasts = people who love ALL cars and all things automotive. It is not just about driving.
Any 12 year old can say I am an enthusiast because I love Ferrari, a real enthusisast can get excited by the new wheel trims on a Dacia Sandero
03/12, 3:35 PM
posted by:
LuckyLou
I’m dying for an S5 in my garage…er…parking spot. I’m no convertible guy(not many would admit to be anyway) but an A5/S5 drop top would be nice…I guess. Audi is bloody great IMO. I used to be a Beemer fanboy but when they didn’t offer manual transmissions on the latest M cars(yes, I know I can NOW FINALLY get a manual M5 or M6) I moved to Audi. I wasn’t anti-Bangle, but rather anti-flappy paddle shifters. Audi is my love now!
03/12, 5:18 PM
posted by:
sunshine1810
I think Audi needs to face lift its A4 (new B8 model) now and not wait till 2012 to do so. I hate the large grill Audi now uses and although I love Audi’s, I will never buy one with that ugly grill.
03/12, 7:53 PM
posted by:
bigp
cant wait to see it in progress.
03/12, 8:20 PM
posted by:
autonut
I wonder how Audi PR office leaked it? In the past it was called press release.
03/12, 11:28 PM
posted by:
A4
isnt there an A3 cabrio in the pipeline?
03/12, 11:32 PM
posted by:
A4
and pleaseee an R8 TDI?
03/13, 12:13 AM
posted by:
agent09
the s5 is nice. but i rather get the new s4. 4 doors = practicality.
03/13, 1:55 AM
posted by:
carbonsigma
Isn’t an A5 Sportback a stupid idea? What was wrong with the A4 Avant?
And there seems to be too many Cabriolets too: A1 Cabrio, A3 Cabrio, A5 Cabrio, A7 Cabrio. What next, Q7 Cabrio?
03/13, 2:41 AM
posted by:
Stinky007
What, no R8 V12 TDI or Q7 V12 TDI?!
Of course, that huge V12 probably weighs half a ton! There’s no place for an overweight engine in the lightweight and nimble R8!
A “fuel efficient” diesel in the R8 would make it a perfect “smug-mobile”, good for bragging to friends about how it does 200mph and at the same does 50mpg…
As for the Q7 V12 TDI, I have no idea why they aren’t releasing that one. Huge useless SUV with a huge seaworthy engine seems like a winning combination for all those people that want to have a huge worthless SUV but are afraid the Hummer H2’s image is not “environmentally friendly” enough and might actually give away the size of their…ding dong…
On a serious note:
-This list might be fake!
OR (more likely)
-This list might only refer to the US market!
03/13, 5:59 AM
posted by:
meekin111
What is the R4?
03/13, 6:35 AM
posted by:
carbonsigma
meekin111, the R4 is basically a smaller R8 - just as the Q5 is smaller than the Q7. The R4 is a Porsche Cayman sized coupe.
03/13, 1:47 PM
posted by:
RR Supercharged
Carbonsigma, I thought that the TT was a Cayman sized coupe. Do you think that they intend to build another one?
03/13, 2:12 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Cadillac rules, Audi is crap. Why anyone would give a crap about some German Cadillac wannabe is beyond me. They have no award winning Northstar, no LS and no GM quality control, just fake, bloated overweight garbage.
Garbage that puts it’s owners on food stamps just to pay for the POS. Meanwhile their execs are sitting in there fancy suits smoking fine cigs, drinking Brandy and mowwin down Bratwurst laughing their collective asses of at how many suckers there are out there that buy their garbage.
America will have the last laugh though when the American Revolution blows their collective fat butts into bankruptcy.
Go drive an XLR, SRX, STS or a CTS, Audi and then get back to us(America) about how flockin great you are. Garanteed you’ll be embarrassed to all hell at how pathetic your product really is to us Americans!
03/13, 2:15 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Does Audi have an award winning, class dominating product like the Escalade? How about the clever, highly functional and brilliant EXT?
No, what they’ve got is an overpriced Volkwagen with worse resale value, twice the repairs, 10 times the cost to repair and as much quality and luxury as a Russian Lada.
Q7 is the biggest joke in the industry. The Slade is in a class by itself.
03/13, 5:57 PM
posted by:
carbonsigma
RR Supercharged, I guess you are right, but I do remember that Porsche wasn’t happy about the R4 taking sales away from the Cayman. I suppose that the R4 is sportier than the TT.
03/14, 1:04 PM
posted by:
nicetry
Can’t wait to see the RS5 and R4 aswell. I hear the R4 is to be a little mid-engine AWD terror. I wonder what engine they will chose to drop in. I imagine something we haven’t seen yet, and I’m also disappointed about no v12-TDI’s for R8 and Q7 on that list. With some more boost I bet a V-12 TDI R8 could scare the **** out of a Veyron. New diesels are becoming very impressive.
05/05, 10:05 PM
posted by:
kbierhaus
For the blind GM lover. Audi has an award winning 2.0 liter engine in both the A3 and A4 that not only thrills, but the quality inside and out trumps all upscale GM autos. Audi A5 sportback is an excellent idea. SEND NOW! American Audi fan.