On last Sundays (Jul 6th ) Top Gear, James Corden along with Rob Brydon where the stars in a reasonably priced car segment of the show – both of them are Audi fans.

James Corden commented that he had  had a Mercedes C180 but really did not like it and was was thinking of getting an Audi A5 or Audi S3. Rob Brydon also commented that he currently has an Audi A4 Cabriolet and was getting Audi A6 Allroad

Jeremy Clarkson comment that he hadn’t seen an Audi A5 and was convinced they only made one for the adverts ? Just to put your mind at rest Jeremy they do exist.

How about a nice 2007 Audi A5 3.0 TDI Quattro Coupe  in topaz blue.

only £37500.00

Or if you’re a company rep looking to standout from the herd of Merc drivers how about a Audi A5 1.8T FSI Sport Manual COUPÉ  For £426.00* a month from out contract hire division at audi nationwide.

Audi news sites are reporting that that a Cabriolet version of the Audi A5 will be launched at the Paris car show this September – with first delivery in the spring of 2009.

The vehicle will be produced by Karmann. The A5 and S5 cabriolets will receive a folding soft top similar to the tops in use for the A3 Cabriolet.

The engine options look to remain remain the same including the 4.2L V8 in the S5 coupe.

The A5 has just been launched more information later today

 (Update - Separate post on the S5)

The Lineage of the A5

The A5’s concept was named for the legendary motor racing star Tazio Nuvolari the last driver to win a Grand Prix in an Auto Union car – in Belgrade on 3rd September 1939.

Nuvolari was born in Mantua, Italy in 1892 and died in 1953, his trademarks were his daring, spectacular driving style and the yellow pullover that he always wore in the car. Nuvolari was a motorcyclist until 1926. After numerous victories with other cars, he switched to Auto Union in 1938 and drove its 12-cylinder Type D mid-engined cars in Grand Prix races and hillclimbs.

He won his first race in 1938 when he was the first across the finishing line in the Italian Grand Prix held in Monza on 11th September 1938. Only a few weeks later, he won another race in Donington, England.

The Gran Premio Nuvolari, a long-distance historic car race covering a distance of approximately 850 kilometres, with the start and finish in Mantua, honours Nuvolari. The main sponsors of this event, in which numerous high-calibre racing cars participate, are AUDI AG and its Italian importer, Autogerma.

We’ve just received the word from  Audi that you can watch the world premiere live via the internet .

You can experience this exclusive event as it unfolds via a live video stream. This will be broadcast live on Tuesday 6th March between 8am and 8.15am (CET) via the A5 Microsite.

Exclusive Audi A5 content will then be available on the A5 microsite, including footage of the A5 in action and an interactive showroom.

MSN  reports that pictures of the new Audi A5 (scheduled to be launched at the Geneva motor show in march) have been leaked onto the internet by a Blogger.

Audi have confirmed the pictures as the real thing and not the result of a photoshop expert mocking up what they think the new audi-a5 may look like.

 There is still no news yet as to the engine and gearbox configurations for the A5 - apart from indications that a manual gearbox will be offered. 

The Launch date for the new Audi A5 has been announced. The world premiere of this extraordinary new coupé will be on 6th March 2007 at the Geneva Motor Show.

Audi have a preview website here you can register for information and news on the launch.