The Audi A5 is a compact coupé, based on the A4 and Audi Nuvolari Concept which will be unveiled on the March 6, 2007 at the Geneva Motorshow and is expected to be released by Audi later in the year. The two-door coupé and convertible versions will compete against the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class and BMW 3-Series. On May 10, 2006, Audi confirmed that the A4-based A5 would go into production. The A5 is notable as it departs from Audi's trademark "overhung" engine mounting position over the front axle, in favour of the powertrain being located behind the axle - in an effort to achieve a more even 55/45 weight distribution between the front and rear wheels.
The Audi A5 is the next model to be released following the TT and R8 models. The A5 is based on the Nuvolari which had a 600bhp bi-turbo V10 and will be the third recent vehicle to go from concept to reality. The first two were the Q7 (Pikes Peak) and the R8 (Le Mans). The A5 will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2007 with the 3.2 Liter V6 engine delivering 265 horsepower. Audi is investing billions of dollars into their new vehicle development and has had over 10 years of increasing sales due to their previous efforts. The new A5 platform is based on a modular design that will also allow the next generation A4 and A6 models to benefit from the more rear situated engine placement.
