Audi has just released the first images of its A3 sedan, a new variant of its A3 compact line that will compete for young luxury buyers with the Mercedes-Benz CLA. Audi will build the A3 sedan at its plant in Gyor, Hungary for European and North American markets and in a new factory in Foshan, southern China, for the Chinese market.
The car was unveiled on the eve of the New York auto show, but it will not appear on the show floor this week. The sedan’s public debut will be next month at the Shanghai auto show, a nod to Audi’s high hopes for the model in China. Audi of America President Scott Keogh said the A3 sedan will come with high-tech features that young buyers demand. It will be the first Audi model to be equipped with a new infotainment system featuring the NVIDIA Tegra computing system, Keogh said. It will also come with wireless 4G connectivity and an Audi “phone box,” which is meant to boost cellular phone signal.
In Europe, the sedan will be offered with three four-cylinder engines: a 140-hp 1.4-liter petrol engine with a system to deactivate two cylinders at low engine loads to reduce fuel consumption; a 180-hp 1.8-liter petrol unit and a 150-hp 2.0-liter diesel engine. A high-performance S3 variant will launch in a few months. Audi is adding new body styles to each generation of the A3. The first generation was launched in 1996 as a three-door hatchback. The second generation added a five-door Sportback.
The third-generation three-door hatchback and Sportback five-door versions went on sale in Europe last year and will now be joined by the four-door sedan. Audi has not said whether the second-generation A3 softtop convertible will be replaced. The A3 sedan is 150mm longer, 11mm wider and 9mm lower than the A3 Sportback.
