New A5 Cabrio next spring

It won't be arriving in Ireland until March of next year, but Audi Ireland are already feeling sunny about the new A5 Cabriolet, writes Brian Byrne.

An S5 performance version will also be available, powered by a 354hp turbocharged V6.

The new A5 Cabrio will be lighter but stronger than the current model, and power units for the standard version will 2.0 and 3.0 diesels with 190/218hp outputs. A 190hp 2.0 turbocharged petrol is expected to arrive later.

Transmissions will be 6-speed manual and 7- and 8-speed automatic options.

The soft-top is fully automatic in operation and is designed to be acoustically quiet.

No prices for Ireland yet.