Visteon Alternators/starters 7802-3 Alternator/generator-reman Alternator on 2040-parts.com

Only the top is soft in new Audi A5/S5 cabriolet

Audi is bucking the trend among luxury automakers who are churning out hardtop convertibles, as the new A5/S5 cabriolets that will reach these shores in October will be the old-fashioned, soft-top design. While other manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Volvo, among others, offer folding hard-tops, Audi says the compromise necessary to make room for the top and all its mechanical apparatus makes a soft-top the right choice for a small to mid-size convertible. The soft top is well insulated; even during a steady rain during our first drive of the car, the cabin was relatively quiet.

Paris Motor Show 2006 - Preview

The 2006 Paris Mondial de L'Automobile opens its doors with the media preview days starting September 28th and features a wealth of new concept and production cars. With around 1.4 million visitors expected, it remains the most popular automobile show in Europe and this year's major production releases will include the Nissan Qashqai, Volvo C30, new Mini, Mercedes CL and BMW X5. There's also a strong showing of concepts, especially from the French makers Peugeot, Citroen and Renault.

Driven: Ford Mondeo wagon

But the design of this Mondeo is interesting because of this, not despite this. The core challenge for the Ford design team was how to balance delivering a distinctively engaging design with being acceptable to as much as possible of the broad target profile of potential buyer. This is perhaps the biggest unspoken challenge for today's vehicle designer.