Audi presented the A5 coupe prototype, a new concept that focuses on efforts to develop lightweight vehicles. The prototype utilizes several weight-reduction technologies, which all aim to improve fuel economy, cut CO2 emissions and enhance handling.
The weight is cut by around 100 kilos as compared to the standard model. Instead of steel construction, it has advanced aluminum and carbon fiber, with the Audi Space Frame (ASF) playing a key role in Audi’s efforts to cut the vehicle’s weight. “Use of the ASF principle reduces the weight of a car body by at least 40 per cent compared with conventional steel construction, and this shows in a kerb weight of 1,310kg for the aluminum A5 prototype, versus a total of 1,420kg for the equivalent steel-bodied series production model,” the company said. The prototype is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 211 hp and achieves a power-to-weight ratio of 161 hp per ton. Audi added that the new A5 Coupe’s lightweight design enables a smaller engine to supplement a larger one with no impact on performance and gains in economy and emissions. It also has a knock-on effect on ancillaries such as the brakes and transmission, which can also be reduced in size and weight.
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