HERNDON, VA- The new A5 Cabriolet, which reaches U.S. dealerships next winter, will be offered with a 2.0L turbocharged engine, among other powertrain configurations. Also, the A5 coupe will get the same four-cylinder engine starting with the 2010 model, which goes on sale this summer, according to www.carblog.com.

The company is applying a strategy of downsizing across the portfolio. The A5 coupe now is available in the United States only with a 3.2L V-6 with direct injection. Its more powerful sibling, the S5 coupe, comes standard with a 4.2L V-8.

But Audi will drop the V-8 from the S5 coupe at the end of the 2010 model-year. Replacing it will be the same 3.0L supercharged V-6 that comes standard in the new S5 Cabriolet.

In the coupe and cabriolet models, the S5 will be mated with Audi's new S-tronic seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The S5 coupe also will continue to be available with a manual transmission.

For example, he said, the "engineering objective" for the S5 coupe is to achieve the same 0-to-60-mph time with the 3-liter V-6 as with the 4.2L V-8. According to Audi, the supercharged V-6 delivers 333 hp and 325 pounds-feet of torque compared with 354 hp and 325 pounds-feet with the V-8.

Audi isn't abandoning the V-8 altogether, Balkcom said: "In a lot of our higher-volume applications, you're going to see that we will possibly be swapping V-8s for supercharged V-6s or other technologies in the future."