And by “controversial,” we mean “disgusting.” Look, the R8 has those side blades because it’s a mid-engine car, but Audi felt they still need a place for a set of golf clubs, so they lengthened the cabin so the clubs can be stowed behind the seats. Meaning that the body has a whole lot of extra length in the middle. Rather than go all BMW and start torturing the hell out of the metal, they slapped on some pieces of plastic (fine, carbon fiber) and called it a day, leading to a look that some love and others loathe.

Now, the A5/S5 is a superbly beautiful car. From every angle, the seemingly minimalist design gets better and better. Especially when you run your eyes across the length of its rising and falling center line that runs from the front fenders past the doors only to terminate in the tail lamp. Just about pitch-perfect. Truly, one of the better designs this decade. German tuner Hofele Design (apparently) had but one simple mission: how to destroy it!

The results are self-evident. All those people that are moaning and complaining that their Audi A5 3.2s don’t look anything like a R8 V10 can now cease their protests. All two of them. Also, and we know this doesn’t need stating but here goes: why would you go through the trouble of mutating your car to the nth degree but then leave on the “A5″ and “3.2″ badges?

Most people who know Audis (i.e. the very people that might have an outside chance of being impressed by this) would agree that A5 and 3.2 stands for the automaker’s worst engine/transmission combination, the slow-revving 3.2-liter V6 that’s already been dropped from the new A4 and the numbskull six-speed Tiptronic box that likes to be in sixth gear by 39 mph. So, besides the raw, inharmonious phony aspect of the body kit (nice fake quad pipes) why on earth bother? Especially as the badge on the back says A5 and the one in the grille says S5. That’s a rhetorical question, because we all know there’s no answer/point. One more thing: the R8 Spyder doesn’t even have side blades. And hey, why not another: the camber on the rear wheel’s all messed up.

To answer you first question, no we have not mistaken the A4 for the new A8. It’s just that Ingolstadt has followed the typical German approach of “one-style fits all” with its new flagship model that looks exactly like the firm’s entry-level A4 sedan. Don’t get us wrong, the new A8 is in our opinion if not the, one of the most elegant and sleek proposals in the luxury sedan segment, but we were expecting something a tad more unique (in other words, more revolutionary, less evolutionary) from Audi.

On the other hand, it should be noted that Audi’s designers managed to achieve an exceptional drag coefficient of only 0.26, which is about the same as the smaller Toyota Prius hybrid.

Moving on to the interior, let’s just say that, sans the A4-esque instrument panel, owners of the current generation A8 will feel right at home. In fact, we bet that most will have a hard time telling the two interiors apart. Nonetheless, the Germans do claim that the cabin has been further improved in terms of quality of workmanship as well as materials.

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We’ve already brought you the leaked photos, but today, on the eve of the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi went ahead and officially released the topless Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro completing the range of the R8 supercar that was offered up until now exclusively in coupe form. Featuring a lightweight cloth top that automatically opens and closes with a touch of a button in 19 seconds, the R8 Spyder comes equipped with the most powerful engine in the R8 line-up, the 5.2-liter V10 that generates a hefty 525 horsepower.

Along with the hard top, the R8 Spyder lost the coupe’s trademark side blades but gained a anodized aluminum coating for the windscreen surround and a newly designed engine cover that houses two arched cowls, which extend to the spoiler lip and include large, integrated air vents.

If you must know, the cover over the storage compartment for the cloth top, which by the way, is offered with a choice of three colors, is made from a carbon fiber composite material.

Inside, what makes this R8 different (other than the fact that its passengers can have an unobtrusive view of the sky, that is), is the specific trim and some special goodies such as the leather for the seats which is colored with pigments to reflect the infrared component of sunlight keeping the seats up to 20 degrees Celsius cooler (always according to the automaker).

The Spyder also comes equipped with a heated glass window, which is separate from the cloth top and can be raised and lowered at the press of a button, with the top up or down. as well as with an additional net-like wind deflector.

Audi says that the soft top’s approximate weight is 30 kg (66 lb) while the necessary reinforcements in the area of the sills, the center tunnel, the rear wall, the floor pan and the A- and B-pillars, result in a weight increase of just 6 kilograms (13 lb) over the R8 Coupe.

The overall weight of the Spyder 5.2 FSI with the manual transmission is 1,720 kg (3,792 lbs) or a mere 25 kg (55 lbs) more than the respective R8 Coupe model.

The 5.2-liter V10 engine that produces 525 horsepower is coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or an optional automatic six-speed transmission optionally that send power to all four wheels.

Audi has announced a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.1 seconds, meaning that the Spyder is two-tenths of a second slower than the coupe. The Spyder hits the 200km/h (124mph) mark in 12.7 seconds while top speed is 313 km/h (195 mph) with the six-speed manual transmission.

Those that opt for the stick shift will see a theoretical average consumption in the combined cycle of 14.9 lt/100km (15.8 US mpg). With R tronic, this figure improves to 13.9 liters (16.9 US mpg).

The open-top two-seater will be launched in its home market in the first quarter of 2010 with a base price of €156,400 which comes to around $228,600 USD with the current exchange rates.

The wraps have been pulled off Audi’s new A5 Sportback. The hatch-totin’ sedan basically combines an A4 wagon and an A5 coupe with the roofline of an upside-down whale, while offering little of those things’ respective practicality, sexiness, or baleen.

Enough Engines to Make Our Heads Spin

The A4-based car won’t be coming to America, but Europeans have six engines to choose from at launch, all of them direct-injected, and all of them turbocharged. Three TDI diesels are on offer: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 170 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, a 2.7-liter V-6 good for 190 hp and 295 lb-ft, and a 3.0-liter V-6 that produces 240 hp and a mouth-watering 369 lb-ft. Acceleration to 62 mph is claimed at 8.7 seconds, 8.2 seconds, and 6.1 seconds, respectively.

There are gasoline engines on tap, too, including the ubiquitous VW Group 2.0-liter turbo four—it comes in 180-hp/236-lb-ft or 211-hp/258-lb-ft flavors—and a 3.2-liter V-6 rated at 265 hp and 243 lb-ft. Zero to 62 mph takes 6.6 seconds with the two most powerful motors, according to Audi.
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During the last Audi AG investors meeting, Rupert Stadler, the automaker’s chairman, confirmed what’s been assumed for some time: the RS5 will be available in both coupe and cabrio forms, the A5 Sportback is due out later this year and the redesigned A8 will debut in late 2009. And there’s more… after the jump.

On the RS5 front, the UK’s CAR magazine has confirmed that the 4.2-liter V8 found in the RS4 and R8 will be fitted to the new high-po coupe, with output pegged at around 450 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque and delivering a 0-60 time in the mid-four-second range. A series of weight reduction measures will be employed in addition to the beefed-up brakes and suspension, and a topless variant will arrive soon after the RS5 hits dealers later this year.

The A5 Sportback, originally shown in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show, will be available sometime this year, likely packing the 211-hp, 2.0-liter TFSI, the company’s new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and a revised diesel V6 putting out around 240 hp and a boatload of torque. Stadler is convinced the A5 Sportback is a model that will be embraced by consumers looking for something that offers, “the ideal blend of functionality and aesthetics.”

Stadler went on to say the next-generation A8 will be the sportiest model in its segment “and set new standards with regard to interiors.” The 2010 A8 will debut sometime in November, so we expect Audi’s flagship to appear at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Stadler also discussed the new A1 minicar, which will go on sale in 2010, along with a hybrid Q5 CUV and the smaller Q3 crossover arriving in 2011. Audi’s detailed product outline also included an announcement that start-stop technology is in the works and will join kinetic energy recovery systems as early as late 2009. At first, the new tech will be fitted to the A3 1.4 TFSI and A4/A5 with the 2.0-liter four fitted with a manual transmission. Audi’s goal is to reduce fuel consumption in its range by 20% by 2012, compared to 2007 levels, so it’s expected that all of this new tech will filter through to the rest of the Audi line-up in the next three years.