Long-time fans of the Audi brand will remember when the original Audi A5 first appeared back in 2007 as a stunning two-door coupe designed by Audi’s Head of Design at the time, Walter de Silva. The veteran Italian designer was particularly proud of the A5 coupe and had no reservation in calling it the most beautiful car he had ever designed. No small claim given that de Silva was also responsible for the Audi R8 amongst other stunning models.

Now the Audi A5 designation has gone in a different direction as the brand continues on its path of electrification and setting aside even numbers for all-electric models and odd numbers for combustion-engined vehicles.

This means that the A4 and A5 model ranges have merged to a degree and the all-new Audi A5 Sedan and its sibling A5 Avant represent a unique blend of Audi A4 Sedan with the unmistakable flair of the original A5.

This time, the designer is Jakob Hirzel whose design was selected to go into series production from a hugely talented pool of Audi’s best designers. The striking sports sedan represents the highlight of his professional career, at once familiar as an Audi with distinctive design cues, and yet a completely new design that represents a bold new direction.

Using the Premium Platform Combustion, the A5 Sedan is larger than its predecessors in the segment and introduces a raft of new technology to the segment, but it is the design and the proportions, drawing on previous models but with an identity all of it’s own that will carry the Audi A5 into the new phase of life.