Below we report a selection of images from the comprehensive set released by Audi, together with the official information about the design and the body structure of the model

From the official Press Release:

Exterior design

The Audi Q5 is 4.63 meters (15.19 ft) long and 1.88 meters (6.17 ft) wide, but only 1.65 meters (5.41 ft) high, with proportions that give it a dynamic look.

The paneled body of the Audi Q5 exhibits stylistic consistency throughout, as if carved out of a single block. The volumes of the forward structure and passenger compartment flow harmoniously into one another; sharp contours delimit sculptural, softly modeled surfaces on which the light creates ever-shifting patterns.

The Q5's forward structure is dominated by the large single-frame radiator grill. The design of its struts provides vertical accentuation, and its V-shaped contour continues on the front lid.

On the four-cylinder versions the grill is in Stone Gray, and on the 3.0 TDI it is painted in gleaming Black. The air inlets are subdivided by horizontal struts that support the standard halogen front fog lamps.

With their slightly angular cut, the headlamps lend the Audi Q5's face an air of resolve. Audi presents their technology in an elaborate, almost artistic way.

The covers over the turn indicators and adjoining the single-frame grille, shielding the failsafe bulbs, subtly incorporate Q5 logos – this typifies the great attention that the brand pays to even the tiniest of details.

The Audi Q5 comes with H7 headlamps as standard. The daytime running lights – with long-life bulbs as their light source – are already standard here; the highbeam and low-beam headlamps are housed in separate chambers.

On the xenon plus version, a mercury-free gas discharge bulb is the light source for the lowbeam and high-beam headlamps. Above and around them is a "wing" – a chrome vapor-coated contour reminiscent of an eyebrow.

Twelve daylight-white lightemitting diodes arranged above each "wing" constitute the daytime running lights, with an energy consumption of just a few watts.

The xenon plus headlamps can also be combined with the adaptive light cornering light system.

Above the sill area, which serves as the technical and visual basis, a clearly ascending dynamic line runs all the way back to the tail end, where it forms the bumper edge – thus accentuating the forward momentum of the body.

The tornado line below the windows starts at the headlights, eases off somewhat in its intensity as it crosses the doors and finally merges with the upper edge of the rear lights. It, too, describes a slight ascent.

The window edge runs initially parallel to the tornado line, until it swoops upward at the level of the third side window.

The feature line intersects the roof edge at a slight angle, thus enhancing the impression of lowness. Finally, the lid line is the join between the side section and the bumper – it visually reinforces the rear end's impression of stability and substance.

In complete contrast to the customary proportions of an SUV, the Audi Q5 has a silhouette reminiscent of a coupe.

This impression is created by the slender, sharply inclined A and D-posts and the early descent in the roof line; it is extended by a spoiler above the rear window, supporting the third brake light and most of the antennas.

The vehicle body accounts for two-thirds of the overall height, with the greenhouse making up the remaining third – proportions that are typical for an Audi.

The roof rails – taking the form of an aluminum extruded section – are standard, with a compact, elegant design that blends harmoniously into the overall styling.

A zero-gap joint connects the roof and the side – this is a highly intricate feature calling into focus the high level of precision involved in Audi design and body manufacturing.

The narrow, strictly parallel pattern of all body joins accentuates this impression.

Substantial bow-type door handles, large exterior mirrors with LED turn indicators and prominent wheel arches point to the strength and sturdiness of the Audi Q5.

Horizontal edges above the wheel arches recall the Audi quattro of 1980, one of the brand's classic creations. The Audi Q5 stands resolutely ready for action on its 17-inch to 20-inch wheels.

Its long wheelbase of 2.81 meters (9.22 ft) means that the body overhangs are short – just 89 centimeters (35.04 in) at the front and 93 centimeters (36.61 in) at the rear.

Like in the front end, in the rear the horizontal lines accentuate the impression of width.

The bumper incorporates the rear fog lamps and the license plate area is recessed in the tailgate. Like the front lid, the wraparound tailgate is made from lightweight aluminum; it is exceptionally wide, like that of the Audi Q7.

The undivided rear lamps are mounted on the large tailgate; because they are not visible when the lid is open, the Audi Q5 has auxiliary lights in the bumper.

The main lamps have bulbs housed in separate chambers as standard; Audi additionally equips versions that have xenon plus headlamps with light-emitting diodes.

An arc at the top edge of the lights acts as the turn indicator; in conjunction with xenon plus, below it there is a flat triangle of LEDs that dips slightly towards the outer edge, acting as the stop light. When the brakes are applied, the lighting intensity is increased sharply within a matter of milliseconds;

a central light bar is also activated. In the event of an emergency brake application with more than 0.7 g deceleration, the Audi Q5 automatically activates the hazard warning flashers for three seconds.

Audi offers three versions for exterior add-on parts, such as the lower sections of the bumpers and the door trim strips. They are colored black as standard, or painted in a contrasting color or the body color as an option. For stone damage protection, film is applied to the sills except around the jacking points.

Two optional design packages are available. The S line exterior package includes a distinctive grill design, new bumpers, accentuated air inlets, a spoiler lip and a diffuser insert at the rear.

All exterior add-on parts and the door trim strips are painted in the body color, and S line logos adorn the fenders and door sill strips.

The cargo area trim strip is in gleaming stainless steel, and trims give the exhaust tailpipes of the four-cylinder versions a more prominent look.

The Offroad Style comprises wheel arch extensions and special, partially dark-tinted bumpers. Beneath the nose and tail ends, there is an integral stainless steel underbody guard.

Tailpipe trims and specially modified door trim strips complete the package. The wheels here are 19 inches in size, but 20-inch wheels are available as an alternative.

Q5 buyers can choose from an extensive range of body colors, including metallic colors Ice Silver, Quartz Gray, Amethyst Gray and Dakar Beige, the pearl-effect finishes Garnet Red, Phantom Black, Meteor Gray, Lava Gray, Stratos Blue, Deep Sea Blue and Orchid Gray, and the solid colors Ibis White and Brilliant Black.

A high-gloss package highlights the windows with aluminum trims, and privacy glazing gives Audi's performance SUV an especially cool look with tinted rear windows.

Body structure

The Audi Q5 has a drag coefficient of just 0.33, the best in its segment. This achievement is all thanks to intensive finetuning
of the body and underbody. The frontal area of the performance SUV is 2.65 m2 (28.52 ft2).

Elaborate aeroacoustics developed for the most part in a special acoustic wind tunnel keep the noise level low even when the car is traveling at high speeds. The Audi Q5 matches the exemplary standard of the Audi A4 in this respect.

Influencing aeroacoustics involves juggling many different elements such as the triple door seals, the drip moldings on the A-posts and the exterior mirrors. Thanks to its rigid mount, the optional panoramic glass roof barely adds to the noise level.

The basic weight of the Audi Q5 at market launch is 1,730 kilograms (3836.04 lb), a low figure for an SUV of this size. The steel body is very light in weight, thanks to the intensive use of cutting-edge technologies.

The super-strength steels that reinforce the center tunnel, inner sills, B-posts, longitudinal members and bulkhead cross-member in the luggage compartment have tensile strengths as high as 1,600 megapascals.

Six Audi Q5 cars together weighing ten metric tons could be hung from a strip of this hot-formed material only two millimeters (0.08 in) thick and 30 millimeters (1.18 in) wide.

Hot forming is a hi-tech process. It involves heating blanks of boron steel to 950 degrees Celsius (1,742° F) in a conveyor oven and then quenching and shaping them in a cooled die.

Their various zones can be heated to different temperatures in the oven, to produce a range of strength zones. In the event of a crash, the component is then deformed in precisely the desired manner.

In the case of the B-post, for instance, the lower zone is rather more ductile (deformable) than the upper zone, since this is where most energy has to be dissipated in the event of a side-on collision.

The post and the rear longitudinal sections are manufactured in-house; Audi is the first carmaker to have installed such production facilities.

On the body of the Audi Q5 – minus the doors, lids and metal panels – superstrength hi-tech steels make up an impressive 9.1 percent of the overall weight.

3.3 percent is made from ultra-high-strength steels, 12.3 percent from higherstrength grades, 44.5 percent from high-strength steel and 30.8 percent from conventional deep-drawn steel.

Welding and bonding

The way the body is put together is also a highly precise affair. The areas in which conventional resistance spot welding is used now account for only 73 percent of the total – equivalent to about 5,000 weld points.

To boost strength further, Audi uses bonding in some areas as well as or instead of welding.

A two-pack adhesive forms the join in 17 percent of cases; the adhesive seams in the Q5 measure a total length of 83 meters (272.31 ft).

There are two particularly elaborate joining technologies among the remaining 10 percent. Laser welding is the method of choice around the sills and on the doors.

The components in the visible part of the tailgate's water channel, like the zero gap between the side section and roof, are created by hi-tech soldering methods.

This zone is visible evidence of Audi's uncompromising quality philosophy, epitomizing the precision joins running all across the body.

The use of ultramodern materials and joining techniques is the basis of the body's rigidity. It keeps the noise level on board low and paves the way for superb drivability – it is the basis for both low tire noise and sporty, precise handling.

Achieving a homogeneous response by the entire body was one of the top priorities for global dynamic rigidity. The level of vibration was reduced even further at the "comfort points" at which the driver and passenger might detect vibration – the steering wheel, the floor panel, around the feet and seats – as well as around the mirrors.

A highly advanced system of transverse and longitudinal profiles and frames gives the Audi Q5 high torsional rigidity. The longitudinal member, the center tunnel and the side structure provide outstanding flexural strength. Components such as a cross-member between the suspension-strut domes specifically increase the forward structure's rigidity.

The design engineers also gave top priority to local rigidity. All those points at which forces and vibration are introduced during driving were specifically reinforced, such as the connection between the front axle subframe, suspension and body. The subframe distributes excitation from the wheels through a framework structure of longitudinal and tunnel members, thus significantly reducing tire noise in important zones.

To protect against corrosion, all body cavities are flooded with hot liquid wax. Audi is the only premium brand to implement this method. During testing of the performance SUV, the design engineers tested quality with the help of the "INKA test" (Ingolstadt Corrosion and Aging Test).

This 19-week procedure involved exposing the Audi Q5 to every conceivable environmental load in a variety of chambers – salt spray, moist heat, dry heat and low temperatures down to -40° C (-40° F). This cycle was followed by a merciless shake test on a simulator and driving tests on the test track.

Safety

While developing the vehicle the brand was able to exploit the extensive resources of knowledge that it had built up internally. The AARU (Audi Accident Research Unit) exhaustively analyzes actual accident scenarios taking many different aspects into account.

In a frontal collision, a finely choreographed series of protective measures is triggered off. At the very start of the collision two acceleration sensors located well forward, beneath the headlamps, are alerted first.

The front cross-member distributes the forces arising through the upper and lower longitudinal members, which dissipate these through defined deformation.

The aluminum subframe that supports the front axle and engine diverts the forces into the floor and tunnel structure of the occupant compartment. The steering column is pushed away from the driver and the pedals are disengaged from their mounts.

In case of front-end collisions, the longitudinal member, rear wheels and sills dissipate the impact energy in a specific pattern; the fuel tank is in the protected zone ahead of the rear axle subframe. The battery, car jack and optional entertainment equipment are displaced into a precisely defined zone; the fuel pump is shut down, as in any more severe crash.

In the occupant compartment, the shape of the seat back frame, a soft sprung mat and an energyabsorbing foam enable the back to sink some way into the seat back. This allows the back of the head to be cushioned early on by the rigid head restraint, which is at a distance of only about four centimeters (1.57 in).

In the case of a severe rear-end collision, the seat-belt tensioners are triggered so as to firmly hold the occupants in the best position in their seats.

This integral head restraint system, which is also used in other model series, has already proved effective for protecting passengers of any build in accidents of all levels of severity.

In the event of a side impact, acceleration sensors in the C-posts and pressure sensors in the doors register the danger. The B-posts, the sills and two cross-members in the floor take on most of the deformation work. They are supported by the doors, the edges of which have a large overlap with the posts, sills and roof frame. Using their hinges, the door support members transfer the forces into the B-posts.

(Source: Audi)