2007 Audi S5

For years, Audi has chosen to stay out of the ring, with nothing to put against BMW's own 3-series coupe. But now, Ingolstadt is back to square off against his rival Munich, not to mention the rest of the field. The company has accelerated procedure to be followed by the new S5 coupe on the market, arriving months before the much-vaunted next-generation M3.

An S-badged coupe is a kind of a big deal. It's twelve years ago that the only left-S2 coupe market, and a full 23 years since the original ur-Quattro marked the most recent offer in this segment for the U.S. Since then BMW has a predominantly un-rivaled dominance. Whereas the first Quattro learned that the original M3 blistered fenders were cool, today's S5 is more square face with the turbocharged BMW 335i, M3, leaving the battle for the rumored, much anticipated and very likely RS 5 .

Audi's Nuvolari concept of 2003 served as inspiration for the styling of the A5 and S5 coupes. However, with the A5/S5, design chief Walter de'Silva broke with Audi's tradition to cars on the market true concept form, as it did with the original TT and R8. Instead of the car market has changed considerably, developing a the most beautiful car I've ever designed, � � according to the Italian designer. It is certainly sexy, with its swooping fender lines and dimensions that would Cruella de Ville cackle.

Fixed also are the A5's rear windows. There's no Alfa GTV-style behind lowering the windows, nor a B-pillarless design as the 60 Dodge Chargers. Too bad, because this may have added to the extravagance of the car, but looking at the size of the rear and rear side panels, Audi had to be miracle workers to find the space to verstouwen the glass. Still, you have to figure they'll find stowage space for glass that at the forthcoming A5 Cabriolet.