Ok, remember last week when we mentioned the new Q3 Sportback still worked within Audi’s nomenclature? Well, this week they’ve decided to go and mess with their perfectly structured naming scheme with the introduction of the A1 citycarver. That’s right, citycarver in lowercase.
So, what exactly is the A1 citycarver? Well, it’s basically a crossover variant of the A1 Sportback (5-door hatch), and yet not SUV enough to qualify as a ‘Q’ car. Audi given it 4cm of ground clearance, larger wheels, high riding suspension, and a few Q-derived styling cues.
Design Qs
Put next to the A1 Sportback, the A1 citycarver looks a little more off-road ready. The honeycomb grille section is finished in matte black, with two slots above the grille that are absent on the 5-door model. The citycarver also gets underbody protection with stainless steel finishing. There are also new wheel arches and side sill add-on parts. The rear bumper is also new.
9 exterior body colours are on offer with contrast roof colours in Mythos black metallic or Manhattan gray metallic. You can even opt to paint all those gray underbody parts black if you prefer.
Three interior lines exist for the A1 citycarver: advanced, design selection and S line. Full LED headlights with dynamic rear turn signals, S line roof edge spoiler, 16-18″ wheels. Safety assist systems like adaptive cruise control, park assist, pre sense front and lane departure warning are all available here.
The A1 citycarver comes with a fully-digital instrument cluster as standard but Audi Virtual Cockpit and MMI navigation plus is available.
In all likelihood, the Audi A1 citycarver will not be made available in Malaysia. But you know what, that’s fine. It feels a bit like an unnecessary product next to similar MQB-based models like the Q2. Also, why introduce lowercase lettering for the term that denotes bodystyle? That’s reserved for powertrain components like quattro and e-tron, as far as I can tell. Audi’s nomenclature went from being the tidiest in the business to a pile of fallen Jenga tiles.
