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All Aluminum Audi A5 Prototype is 220-Pounds Lighter

Aluminum is a great material. Light, easy to work, strong if you can design with it right and relatively plentiful (if you’ve got access to lots of electricity to refine it). Audi recently gave a textbook demonstration about just what aluminum can offer by making an A5 prototype that makes extensive use of the alloy.

The A5 in question has allowed Audi to shave nearly 220-pounds from its handsome Coupe. The engineers from Audi swapped out the normal steel bits for advanced aluminum as well as carbon fiber here and there in the interest of fuel economy, emissions reduction and handling agility.

Audi did this as a way to go against the tide of rising car weights. Airbags, door beams and the like have all contributed to cars getting fatter and fatter. Audi took an existing steel-bodied A5 and clearly demonstrated the benefits of the aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) concept. The use of ASF reduces the weight of a car body by at least 40% compared with conventional steel construction. That means dropping the overall weight from 3,130 pounds down to 2,888 pounds.

Dropping the weight meant that Audi could do away with the standard V6 and use a four cylinder engine, and still have the same performance. Not only is the performance the same, but naturally, there are gains in economy and emissions and also to other ancillaries such as the brakes and transmission, which can also be reduced in size and weight. The handling is also markedly improved.

So why hasn’t aluminum seen widespread use in the auto industry? There’s a few reasons. First, in comparison to steel, aluminum is a little harder (and therefore expensive) to refine. Aluminum is also more costly to mine in some respects and the tooling needed to work it is also more expensive than the tooling used for steel forming.

There is also the mitigating factor that since gas prices and environmental concerns have only recently come onto the radar of car manufacturers, there has not been the motivation to really make cars all that light. They’ve been used to working with, buying and sourcing steel for the bodies of their cars, so why not go with what you know.

Well, times change, and Audi has pointed out what Colin Chapman and any sportscar guy will be able to tell you: “To go fast, add lightness”.

2010 Audi A4, A5, and Q5 Priced

The big news for Audi’s slinky A5 coupe is the addition of the 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine as an option for 2010. Other changes for the 2010 A4 and A5 include available LED taillights and Audi’s third-generation Multi-Media Interface (MMI) system. While the 3.2-liter V-6 remains the sole engine option for the Q5, a new Luxury package adds 20-inch S-line wheels and coddles drivers in ventilated seats wrapped in premium Milano leather.

With pricing similar to 2009 models, the 2010 A4 2.0T FWD sedan will start at $32,275 with a CVT; add $900 for Quattro all-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual.

A base 2010 A5 2.0T Quattro coupe with a manual transmission will be priced at $36,825 ($4,700 cheaper than a 2009 model with the 6-speed/V-6 combo). The top-of-the-line Prestige A5 2.0T with an automatic will cost $46,325. Add $1200 to any trim for an automatic transmission.

The 2010 Q5 3.2 FSI starts at $38,175, a $150 increase from 2009.

While no pricing has been released yet for the 2010 S4, the supercharged sedan will go on sale in August.

Audi A5 Car Pictures

Audi A5 Car Pictures