One of my favorite car-related things about living in Los Angeles is the frequency with which I see camouflaged test vehicles. Automakers from America, Europe, Japan, Korea and more have design centers or R&D facilities in Southern California, and others will just ship cars out here for testing on some of the greatest roads (and hottest deserts) that the world has to offer.
My most recent spot was in Beverly Hills. I was turning onto Rodeo Drive to do some people-watching and carspotting when I noticed a distinctive swirly black-and-white camo pattern a few car lengths ahead, so I followed after it – safely of course. The car turned out to be the next-generation Audi A5, specifically the sportier S5 variant in the four-door Sportback body style.
The new A5 might be the first (and most controversial) model to adopt Audi’s updated naming system. From here on out, all internal combustion Audis will feature an odd number in their names, while electric Audis will have an even number. Audi is also consolidating and simplifying its lineup, killing off some low-volume models and body styles.
That means the gas-powered A4 sedan and A5 Sportback will merge into one model, the A5 Sportback, with the A4 Avant wagon getting renamed A5 Avant. An A4 sedan will still exist, but it will be fully electric and become part of Audi’s E-Tron sub-brand, sitting below the A6 E-Tron that’s debuting next year. The two-door A5 coupe and cabriolet will likely be discontinued for good.
In terms of overall styling, the new A5 Sportback splits the difference between the traditional A4 sedan and the existing A5 Sportback. Its profile is sleeker and more sedan-like, with a stubby trunklid and integrated spoiler, but it has a liftback hatch instead of a regular trunk. As someone who always prefers a liftback to a sedan, I think this is a great move.
The rest of the A5's design isn’t too surprising. Up front there’s a wide single-frame grille, large vertical air intakes at the bumper corners and slim LED headlights – unlike other upcoming Audis, the new A5 won’t have a split headlight setup. The A5's haunches are boxy and really nicely flared, and it has flush door handles that should improve aerodynamics. At the rear we can see thin taillights connected by a light bar. Denoting this as an S5 are the quad exhaust tips in the rear bumper; the grille pattern and other minor details might differ from the standard model as well.
The next-gen A5 should remain on the MLB Evo platform that underpins the current model as well as cars like the A7, Q5 and Q8 E-Tron. The base A5 should use the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four as the current model, albeit with a mild-hybrid system added. The S5 will stick with a V6, potentially exchanging the current turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 for the twin-turbo 2.9-liter unit from the RS5; either way, the S5 should get a full hybrid setup. At least one lower-end plug-in-hybrid powertrain will be available, and the next-gen RS5 is rumored to augment its V6 with a plug-in-hybrid system that could make over 500 horsepower.
Audi says that it won’t launch any new cars with internal combustion engines after 2026, so we should see the entire A5 lineup (including RS models) get unveiled before then. Expect the basic A5 to debut by the midpoint of 2024 with an on-sale date at the end of the year. It remains to be seen whether the A5 Avant will be sold in the US in non-Allroad guise, but previous rumors have pointed to American buyers at least being offered the RS variant.
