What this is, is direct response to the incoming BMW 1er Coupe and Cabrio .
They are also implementing the same strategy as BMW - How the 3er Cabrio is now the Mid-range cabrio model - which is what the A5 will be . And the A3Cabrio will be aimed at the BMW 1er Cabrio which now becomes BMW's entry cabrio.

And they should respond , rumours going the rounds is that the incoming Mercedes C-Klasse Coupe will get a Cabrio model as one was developed for the previous generation but axed on cost grounds.

But the hype surrounding the incoming BMW 1er models has really pysched people up in, Germany, UK and other key markets in europe nearly every BMW partner has an order or a few and serious customer interest in these upcoming models.

Just this week we have had news that on the strength of the Hans J Stuck pictures published last week has brought a lot of interest in regarding these models. Small cars are becoming the in-thing again due to environmental concerns , fuel economy etc.

I have heard rumours that Audi might even offer a Coupe A3 to challenge the small BMW and Mercedes models. But I suppose that this suggestion might be wide off the mark along the lines of Porsche are developing a cabrio version of the Cayman....