Weight reduction is now a major part of the game when putting a vehicle through the development process – especially for the high-performance vehicles. The current Audi S5 coupe weighs in at a hefty 3,800 pounds and the recently unveiled 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet weighs in even heavier at 4,300.

And while the 2010 S4 and 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet flaunt fast acceleration and an increase in fuel-economy by replacing the heavy 4.2L V8 with a lighter 333-hp 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6, there is still much more performance and fuel-efficiency to gain for these two high-performance Audis.

According to Michael Dick, Audi’s global head of product engineering, the company is testing the next-generation S5 which weighs 880 pounds less than the current model. Dick told CARandDRIVER that the next-generation model will feature more aluminum, magnesium and high-strength steel to help cut excess weight. That will applied to future Audi models including the next-generation Audi A6 and the use of those materials will increase significantly in the A4, A5, S4 and S5 in the 2014 model years.

Great – so we’ll see a slight jump in fuel-economy once again. Not exactly. The jump is expected to be quite significant since Audi is planning to replace the supercharged 3.0L V6 in the 2010 S4 and S5 with a lighter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. That will help fuel-economy come in at the mid to high 20 mpg range. So, does that mean we’ll be giving up a faster S5 for the sake of higher miles-per-gallon?

Dick says the 3,000 pound next-generation S5 “laps Germany’s famed Nurburgring Nordschleife eight seconds faster than the current S5.”

- By: The Daily Auto Editor

Source: CARandDRIVER