The team(work) behind the new Audi A5
The Audi A4 has a successful history; long live the Audi A5. Thirty years after the debut of Audi's premium mid-size class with the B5 series, the new generation is moving into the upper mid-size class – now called the Audi A5. But what distinguishes Audi’s latest model? The people who design the new A5, plan production, build, and market the vehicle know that best.
Audi S5 Sedan TFSI: Fuel consumption combined in l/100 km (62.1 mi): 7.8-7.4 (30.2-31.8 US mpg); CO₂ emissions combined in g/mi: 178-169 (286.5-272.0 g/mi); CO₂ class: F
Audi S5 Sedan TFSI: Fuel consumption combined in l/100 km (62.1 mi): 7.8-7.4 (30.2-31.8 US mpg); CO₂ emissions combined in g/mi: 178-169 (286.5-272.0 g/mi); CO₂ class: F
First impressions count when it comes to design
First impressions count when it comes to design
Jakob Hirzel knows what counts when it comes to strong first impressions. The 41-year-old studied Transportation Design at the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences in Germany – an establishment that guarantees formative design. Hirzel has worked at Audi since 2012, where he was jointly responsible for the exterior of the current A3 model series and is the exterior designer for the new Audi A5 family.
“The new A5 conveys the sporty essence of our design DNA,” says Hirzel. “The long hood, the sporty and compact greenhouse, the stretched shoulder line, and the quattro blisters characterize the vehicle’s dynamics even when stationary.” His personal highlights are the new, flat Singleframe with honeycomb grille and the next-generation digital OLED rear lights, which come into their own at night thanks to selectable signatures and light strips so that the first impression is also convincing in the dark.
Years of planning in the production
Years of planning in the production
As with every new vehicle model, planning for the new A5 began many years in advance. While Audi was upgrading the A4 of the B9 series in 2019, Katharina Pyrek and her colleagues from assembly planning were already working on the successor generation, the series now called the A5 (B10).
Pyrek joined Audi in 2016 – even back then in assembly planning. “I grew up in planning,” she says. She first came into contact with the new A5, which is also her first major project at Audi, as a Production Planner.
“We develop structural solutions for complex problems, such as higher crash safety requirements.” The assembly planning department is also responsible for integrating the new series into ongoing operations at the German production site in Neckarsulm. “We use weekends or production interruptions to carry out the conversion. Of course, we don't do this alone, but alongside many specialist departments from production. Excellent cooperation ultimately means an excellent product.”
“Getting the baby to walk”
“Getting the baby to walk”
Aleyna Aydin, who works in start-up support, also emphasizes the importance of teamwork. “We analyze every single production step in assembly, for example, the component compatibility itself, the ergonomics during installation, or the time per work step.”
Aydin completed her apprenticeship as a production mechanic in 2018. For the 25-year-old, the new A5 is one of her biggest projects to date. “We've been working on it for almost two years,” she says. “Of course, we've had the odd challenge along the way. Our goal has always been the same: flawless production. Developing solutions and seeing progress – that's what motivates me.”
How the new A5 is made fit for production
How the new A5 is made fit for production
Holger Mathes has worked in Neckarsulm for 25 years, accompanying numerous new start-ups. “I started out as a welder in 1998, working on the Audi A6,” he says. Today, Mathes and his team at the Neckarsulm plant are responsible for the material basis of a new vehicle: the body and the supporting metal with recognition value.
Mathes and his team must conduct several tests and trials in the body shop to ensure that everything fits later during series production. “The systems have to be specially set up before the weekends so we can test the buildability of the new scopes at the weekend.”
However, there is another even more critical phase: the pilot series. “This is when we take over the systems and build the vehicle in larger quantities – a final test, so to speak.”
“We have positioned the A5 higher.”
“We have positioned the A5 higher.”
Luisa Werther's work is less about production and more about ensuring the new A5 has everything it needs to perform well in the market. The 34-year-old works in product marketing and knows the entire vehicle inside out. The industrial engineering graduate has been employed at Audi since 2013. “I am proud that we have developed such a great product with the new A5,” she says.
She and the A5 team are also responsible for positioning the A5 higher. “The vehicle has grown, both in terms of its classic dimensions and its substance, such as the equipment. Many of our customers' favorite features are now standard equipment – such as navigation, an electrically opening and closing boot lid, or the phone tray with inductive charging function.”
Werther is particularly looking forward to the large optional panoramic glass roof, which customers can switch between transparent and non-transparent at the touch of a button, or the electronic architecture that connects the vehicle and already impresses in the Audi Q6 e-tron. This means that the Audi A5 has excellent prospects of writing its own personal success story – thanks to the many people who have put the car on the road.
Audi Q6 e-tron: Power consumption (combined) in kWh/100 km: 19.6–16.5CO₂ emissions (combined) in g/km: 0CO₂ emission class: A
Audi Q6 e-tron: Power consumption (combined) in kWh/100 km: 19.6–16.5CO₂ emissions (combined) in g/km: 0CO₂ emission class: A
