Audi A5 2010 News

Audi has today announced a wide-ranging Takata airbag recall, with owners of the Q5, A5 and A3 impacted.

Hot on the heels of the Australian government's mandatory Takata airbag recall, Ford, Audi and Tesla have joined the list of carmakers to detail which of it's models are affected.

Audi has sharpened its A4 and A5 lineup for 2014, with prices dropping by up to $7300 across the sedan, wagon, coupe, hatch, and cabriolet body styles. The previous entry A4 1.8 TFSI petrol manual sedan has been dropped from the range, with the 1.8 TFSI Multitronic auto now forming the kickoff point for the lineup at $55,500.Similarly, the non-quattro 3.0 TDI diesel sedan and Avant wagon models have also been discontinued, and a new $65,800 2.0 TDI diesel quattro sedan variant joins the pre-existing $69,900 Avant model with the same drivetrain. A5 Coupe and Sportback models also gain 2.0 TDI quattro variants, priced equally at $75,700.Petrol 2.0-litre models across all body styles gain a version of the direct and port-injected turbo engine seen in the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, which produces 165kW in Audi guise and an unchanged 350Nm. The change marks a 10kW improvement over previous 2.0-litre quattro models. FEATURESThe entry A4 and A5 1.8 TFSI models gain standard three-zone climate control and a colour Driver Information System (DIS). Buyers of the A4 1.8 TFSI models can choose from two new option packages, including the $2990 Technik package that brings MMI Navigation plus satnav and Parking system plus, which is comprised of front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.Also available for A4 1.8 TFSI models is the $2,200 Comfort package, which brings electric front seat adjustment and heaters, an auto-dimming interior mirror and proximity keys. A4 sedan models can also be optioned with the $1,690 Assistance Package, comprised of adaptive cruise control and Active lane assist.All Quattro models now come with the Parking system plus system as standard, and both petrol and diesel A5 3.0-litre models now come with the sportier S-Line exterior package. "We have made some of the most popular options now standard," Audi Australia’s marketing boss Kevin Goult says.PRICINGA4 Sedan 1.8 TFSI multitronic - 125 kW - $55,500A4 Sedan 2.0 TDI multitronic (special order only) - 130kW - $57,900A4 Sedan 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 130kW - $65,800A4 Sedan 2.0 TFSI quattro manual - 165kW - $63,000 (up $1300)A4 Sedan 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 165kW - $65,800 (up $1300)A4 Sedan 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 180kW - $88,000A4 Sedan 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 200kW - $92,900 (down $500)S4 Sedan 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 245kW - $119,900A4 Avant 1.8 TFSI multitronic - 125 kW - $58,500A4 Avant 2.0 TDI multitronic (special order only) - 130kW - $60,900A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 165kW - $68,800 (up $1300)A4 Allroad 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 130kW - $69,900S4 Avant 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 245kW - $123,400RS 4 Avant 4.2 FSI quattro S tronic - 331kW - $149,400A5 Coupe and Sportback 1.8 TFSI multitronic - 125 kW - $64,200 (down $2700)A5 Coupe and Sportback 2.0 TDI multitronic (special order only) - 130kW - $65,700 (down $3000)A5 Coupe and Sportback 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 130kW - $75,900A5 Coupe and Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro manual - 165kW - $74,000 (down $6900)A5 Coupe and Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 165kW - $75,700 (down $7500)A5 Coupe and Sportback 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 180kW - $93,800 (down $2100)A5 Coupe and Sportback 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 200kW - $98,400 (down $1900)S5 Coupe and Sportback 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 245kW - $135,400A5 Cabriolet 1.8 TFSI multitronic - 125 kW - $75,800 (down $2700)A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI multitronic (special order only) - 130kW - $77,900 (down $3000)A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 165kW - $89,100 (down $7300)A5 Cabriolet 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic - 180kW - $106,700 (down $2100)A5 Cabriolet 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 200kW - $110,500 (down $1900)S5 Cabriolet 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic - 245kW - $146,000

But it is the European brands who are trumping the locals with a range of concepts and production cars intended to tap into the sales boom and gold rush in China. Mercedes-Benz shows its Shooting Break wagon, Volkswagen has the new Phaeton flagship, Audi has a long-wheelbase A6, BMW has a new four- door coupe and Ferrari has its F599 GTO to make the running.The 45 local brands are doing their best - with Great Wall alone showing nine new models - but they are the entree for the main course choices from Europe. The big news from the Chinese carmakers - including Australian start-ups Chery, Geely and Great Wall - is a strong emphasis on green cars, mostly fully-electric plug-ins but with a smattering of hybrids.A total of 95 alternate-energy vehicles are spread through the nine giant, pulsating, colourful stands at the Beijing Exhibition. Even Volkswagen is using China Auto 2010 to push its electric strategy, promising to start local production of plug-ins between 2013 and 2014."As China becomes Volkswagen's most important market around the world, achievement in the electric-vehicle segment in China is key," says Martin Winterkorn, global chief of VW.Holden is helping GM make a Beijing splash with the latest version of the Volt, a boxy five-door SUV concept, which was built by the design crew at Fishermans Bend. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of the biggest motor show in China, as first-quarter sales in the country rocketed to 4.7 million vehicles this year.Most full-year sales forecasts for 2010 are set in the 16.2 to 16.5 million range, well ahead of the USA and fueled by overall economy growth which continues to run in the 8-9 per cent, year-on-year.

Australian drivers have become shiftless slobs for whom changing gears is as inconceivable as flicking channels without a remote. But would you (re-)learn the art of stick shifting to save the planet?  I ask because the leanest running car in the country is not that ostentatiously shaped advertisement for your greener-than-thou self, Toyota’s Prius.It is, as this blog’s reader is aware, Ford’s Europe-designed and built Fiesta ECOnetic, with a small but relentless four cylinder turbo diesel driven through a five-speed manual that can realise as little as 3.7 litres per 100km. That’s opposed to the CVT-driven, petrol-electric hybrid Prius’s 3.9.OK, those figures have questionable real-world application, being achieved in the contrived circumstances of official testing. What is of real-world significance is the disparity in price – the Pious … sorry, the Prius begins from just under 40 big ones.  The ECOnetic is to be had from $24,990. And there’s no issue with the brakes.The Ford, is of course, smaller than the Toyota, but there’s no shortage of slightly larger diesel sippers whose consumption and emissions figures barely exceed the Prius in the real world.And increasingly, manual oilers will get stop-start, the tech currently being rolled out by BMW and Audi, such as the seamless A5 2.0 TFSI we had last week. Coupled with energy recovery systems, these can save around a litre of juice per 100km and 5g of Co2 per klick.If you don’t find the Fiesta and Prius readily comparable, the Mazda6 and Toyota’s Camry couldn’t be more so -- not least the Diesel 6 (5.9l/100km) at $36,250 and the Camry Hybrid (6l/100km) at $39,990. Lineball stuff consumption wise, but if you’re serious about preserving the ice caps, surely every litre and gram counts.If it’s not easy being green, changing gears really isn’t that hard.   Harden up, soft cogs.

Soon you will be able to insert a conventional 3G SIM card into a slot somewhere in the dashboard that will take turn your vehicle into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.  Chris Ryan, boss of Strike which imports mainly Bluetooth vehicle technology, says Australian motorists will become familiar with internet-connected vehicles in the next few years, just as they did when in-car entertainment and air-conditioning became standard.He says internet devices were a highlight of the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and that motorists ‘will benefit immensely from the new technology’.  Internet-empowered cars at the congress featured the SIM card slot positioned below the in-car display.Ryan says it will allow passengers to plug into the internet ‘as if they were at an internet cafe and they can log in to all social networking sites at the click of a button’.  "Passengers will be able to Skype, watch movies and email, etc," he says.At the Mobile World Congress, Audi used a 3G-enabled A5 to show off navigation applications and streaming entertainment features.  Audi plans to include 3G connectivity in select overseas A8 models later this year, according to Audi Australia corporate communications general manager Anna Burgdorf.Ryan says the feature will open up a world of information and services."From the comfort of the motorist's seat, they can make simultaneous voice and data connections," he says.  "Passengers will be able to use in-built navigation systems, which are compatible with Google Earth and similar GPS systems. They will provide high-resolution, 3D satellite and aerial imagery as well as live traffic updates which will be extremely useful for motorists."Meanwhile, Intel and Google are developing interactive dashboards with large screens showing 3D maps, web pages and videos.  They will be capable of providing restaurant reviews and venue information online while vehicles are moving.Ryan says Strike will import "in-car accessories, which will complement the new technology and that will see consumers have access to the convenience of the internet at their fingertips, no matter where there are".  However, not everyone is as excited about the introduction of internet to vehicles.National Fatality Free Friday road safety initiative founder Russell White says giving drivers the ability to surf the net while driving is "too big a temptation".  RACQ traffic and safety executive manager John Wikman says most satellite navigation units provided essential driver information, but internet systems are more entertainment-oriented and could be a distraction."I don't see how you can input data and be concentrating on driving the car at the same time," he said.  RACQ technical services officer Steve Spalding says the overriding factor must be safety."It is important that vehicle manufacturers and regulators balance the introduction of in-car communications technology with the risk of driver distraction," he says.  "Interactive technologies such as this can distract the driver even though it might be in use by the passengers."Current regulations prohibit visual display units being visible to the driver while the vehicle is moving unless it is a driving aid such as a sat nav.  "I think there would be a real temptation for the driver to look across at a laptop screen or similar being held by a passenger," Spalding says.

Since cars all deliver on the same basic promise of personal mobility, and many vehicles do it with incredible value and panache, good design can often make the difference between buying and losing.Ian Callum knows it and, after more than four decades of top-class design work on everything from HSV Holdens to Volvos, Aston Martins and now Jaguars, he is the right man to be talking. "This is a time of car design. It's not just styling any more. You really have to understand design, and the elements that make up a good design," Callum says. "We're also seeing a lot of change in the automotive world. The make-up of cars is changing. Designers are going to have an incredible influence."Callum has revolutionised Jaguar design over the past 10 years and just visited Australia to showcase his all-new XJ flagship, which steps right away from anything which has previously worn the brand's leaper mascot. "I didn't want to be a slave to heritage," he says simply.Callum believes good design is simple but incredibly difficult, elegant and timeless, but also challenging and filled with tiny little details. He is rare among designers because he backs his promises with commitment and talent, and is also happy to give an opinion.So, then, how does he judge the work from some of his rivals? Surprisingly, Callum is happy to go on the record with a simple tick-or-cross verdict on the latest designs in showrooms.Here are his ratings: Aston Martin Rapide - tickAudi A5 - tickBMW GT - two crossesBMW X6 - crossFerrari F458 Italia - tickHSV EII Commodore - tickLexus LFA - tickMercedes E-Class - crossMercedes SLS Gullwing - crossNissan GT-R - crossPorsche Panamera - crossRolls-Royce Ghost - tickToyota Prius - tickVolkswagen Golf - tick 

Everything from an A5 cabrio, A5 Sportback, A4 Allroad wagon, A7 four-door sports coupe, A1 Sportsback, Q3 off-roader and R8 convertible is on the books.But Audi Australia is not revealing just what is likely to head to Australia.Audi Australia general manager of marketing, Immo Buschmann, is giving little away on the new arrivals, only confirmed the early 2009 launch of the Q5 off-roader.However, he hints that an A5 Sportsback and maybe an A4 Allroad were on the cards."But we have not decided," he says.He says he is unaware specifically what the Germany headquarters has in store for Australia regarding new models.Recently, Audi AG's product development chief, Michael Dick, revealed to European media that Audi's range of 22 vehicles will grow with another 18 "in our heads".It is believed the A5 convertible will be unveiled in Europe before the end of the year with an A5 Sportback arriving next year, followed by the Q3.The A5 Sportback will be designed to fill a gap between the A4 Avant and A6 Avant.Performance derivatives are believed to be among the mix, with an R5 and RS5 mooted.One thing is clear though, the huge investment local dealers have taken in new "Terminal" showrooms will pay off.The first "Terminal" dealership cost $12 million and is located in Sydney's Five Dock.It is the first of a design that will be adopted globally."Our dealers have invested heavily to be able to display and sell these new cars," he says."The Q5 is our next big launch."Audi is expected to launch the car with a tough Trans-Continental drive through Outback Australia like the successful Q7 launch.Speaking at the launch of the RS6 Avant, Buschmann, says although the focus on RS is to maintain exclusivity, he admitted that in the future, the company may have to broaden the RS thinking."If there is demand to broaden the RS portfolio then we will look at it," he says."The ethos of the RS is entirely up to our product strategists."But I imagine we would look at a top-down approach when we look at eligible RS cars, those that have the necessary DNA."