Audi is planning to launch its Audi A5 Sportback in the India luxury car market soon later this year. The Audi A5 Sportback will create a new niche segment in India just like the company's A7 offering did a few months back.

Being a Sportback, the A5 will offer the best of both the worlds. It is the best possible combination of a sedan and an estate model. From the front, the A5 looks like any other Audi saloon but take your eyes to the rear and you see the differences. The coupe like sloping roofline gives it a very sporty look that is sharp, seducing and very sexy. The cabin is expected to be laden with features and high class comfort.

The A5 is likely to be available in four variants with both diesel and petrol engine options that will be mated to Audi's automatic transmission. The top end petrol model is expected to come with Audi's famed 4-wheel drive or the Quattro all-wheel drive system.

The four-passenger 2015 Audi A5 is offered in coupe and convertible body styles. The latter features a power-operated soft top and a wind blocker. There are three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige.

The base A5 Premium comes well-equipped with standard 18-inch alloy wheels, a tilt-only sunroof (coupe only), automatic xenon headlights, LED running lights and taillights, foglights, automatic wipers, tri-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats (with four-way driver lumbar support), split-folding rear seatbacks, a monochromatic driver information display, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a dash-mounted MMI electronics interface with a 6.5-inch display and a 10-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio and an iPod interface.

The Premium Plus adds an S line trim package (bumpers, side-sill blades, fender badges and doorsill inserts), auto-dimming mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, heated front seats (optional on Premium) and driver memory functions.

The Prestige adds adaptive headlights, a Bang & Olufsen sound system (with 14 speakers for the coupe and 12 for the Cabriolet; optional on Premium Plus) and the Technology package (including Bluetooth streaming audio, a color driver information center, Audi connect (with online services and mobile Wi-Fi), a navigation system, an upgraded MMI interface with a higher-resolution 7-inch screen and console-mounted controls between the front seats, a DVD player, HD radio, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera and a blind-spot monitor.

The all-wheel-drive 2015 Audi A5 is motivated by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the coupe, while an eight-speed automatic is optional there and mandatory for the convertible. In Edmunds testing, an A5 with the manual transmission launched from zero to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, an average time for this segment.

Fuel economy for the A5 is estimated by the EPA at 26 mpg combined (22 city/32 highway) for the coupe with the manual transmission, yet we managed an impressive 32 mpg on the 120-mile Edmunds mixed-driving evaluation loop. The automatic drops to 25 mpg combined (22/31) while the convertible gets 24 mpg combined (21/29).

Standard safety features for the 2015 Audi A5 include antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side and knee airbags and (for the coupe) full-length side curtain airbags.