After the successful launch of the Audi Q7, the luxury carmaker from Ingolstadt is preparing the launch of its second ‘Q’ car, which according to a leaked product schedule should arrive by the middle of this year. The new car is the Q5 soft-roader and it’s set to go head-to-head with the awkwardly styled BMW X3 as well as Mercedes’ upcoming GLK-Class. Company Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn described the Q5 as “an overtly sporty vehicle that will add an important product to the Audi model range,” and these latest renderings of the car certainly agree with those comments.

The Q5 will also pick up many styling cues from last year’s Cross Cabriolet quattro concept, which starred at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Although the show car featured just two doors and a chopped roof its dimensions offer a clue as what to expect for the production Q5. It measured 465cm in length and 191cm across, which puts it in a similar category to the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLK.

Early estimates put the price of the new SUV between €35,000 to €50,000, which will likely rule out aluminum construction. The vehicle will also miss out on third-row seating, however, storage space will be close to 500L. Engine options will include a 330hp 4.2L V8 with 440Nm on tap, as well as a 3.2L V6 with 265hp. The entry-level model will come with a smaller 210hp 2.0L TFSI motor.

Audi has even more SUV and crossover models in the works. Already confirmed is a new A4 Allroad and there’s also a smaller Q3 in the works as well as a possibly baby Q1 model.

Many believed talk of Audi’s future mid-engined Cayman rival was pure fantasy but then details about the carmaker’s future lineup were published by Quattro Quarterly (a publication released by the Audi Club of North America) and one of the cars on that list was in fact the long rumored R4. Set to appear in June 2011, the new R4 will get its own unique platform and will likely appear in both coupe and roadster bodystyles.

Like the R8, the new R4 will feature aggressive styling and will only be able to seat two. Several engine options will be on offer as this won’t be an exclusive supercar like its bigger brother. Expect to see a range-topping model with a high-output turbocharged mill developing in excess of 300hp. Base models, meanwhile, will make do with an uprated version of the 2.0L TFSI engine.

As this rendering suggests, the R4 will pick up some styling cues from the recent A1 Metroproject concept car as well as share many similarities with the bigger R8. Although it doesn’t have the familiar side-blades, the R4 still features a pair of gaping vents positioned in front of the rear wheels. The chassis will feature steel construction but engineers are targeting a final kerb weight of around 1,250kg, and although the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman seem like the most obvious competitors Audi officials insist the new car is designed to rival vehicles from BMW’s M division and AMG.