German luxury car maker Audi today launched its sporty SUV, the Audi Q5, which has been voted the best off-roader in Europe by auto motor und sport and awarded the Golden Steering Wheel in Germany.

Audi says the new Audi Q5 combines the dynamism of a sports sedan with the company's peoprietory quattro permanent all-wheel drive to create a superior technology package for both on- and off-road driving.

With two engine options, 2.0 TFSI petrol and the 3.0 TDI diesel,  the Audi Q5 will be available at Audi dealerships across India from June 4th, 2009 onwards.

''The Audi Q5 stands testament to Audi's commitment to innovation and sophistication," said Benoit Tiers, managing director, Audi India. "The market for the SUV segment has seen tremendous growth in this country during the last years. Driven by our philosophy of 'Vorsprung durch Technik', the Audi Q5 will become a benchmark for style, performance, safety, comfort and driving dynamics in its segment. It joins its 'big brother' Audi Q7 in creating a new market for the smaller luxury SUV admirer in the country,'' Tiers added..

The Audi Q5's large single-frame grill dominates the front-end, the headlamps have xenon plus bulbs and LED running lights as standard, and the rear lights also feature LED technology.
The Audi Q5 is 4.63 meters (15.19 feet) long, 1.88 meters (6.17 feet) wide and 1.65 meters (5.41 feet) high, giving it the sportiest proportions in the segment..

Both, the petrol and the disel varianhts are direct injection units with turbocharging, beefy pulling power and impressive fuel efficiency. The new 2.0 TFSI with Audi valvelift system has a maximum power output of 155 kW (211 hp) and speeds up to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. The 3.0 TDI is the most powerful engine in the range with 176 kW (240 hp) and 500Nm of torque. It speeds up from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 225 km/h.

For these engines Audi has developed a new generation of the dynamic S tronic - the innovative dual-clutch transmission now has seven gears. Being a performance SUV, the Audi Q5 drives with sporty precision and unwavering stability, with a climbing performance of a staggering 31degrees.

The Audi Q5 combines technology with luxury. The standard and optional equipment includes the Audi driver information system, the MMI (Multi Media Interface), xenon plus headlights with LED technology, Bang & Olufsen surround sound, a DVD player, Rear Seat Entertainment, 3-Zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control, an acoustic parking system with rearview camera and many additional features.

The Audi Q5 range starts at Rs38,29,000 for the 2.0 TFSI and Rs44,19,000 for the 3.0 TDI (ex-showroom Mumbai) and will be offered in six colours - stratos blue, garnet red, ice silver, meteor grey, phantom black and ibis white.

The new Audi Q5 will join the Audi model range in India, comprising the new Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A4, Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8 from 4 June 2009 Audi's 11 Indian dealerships in Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi.