Audi has released a few sketches of its A3 concept sedan version that is bound for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Audi describes the A3 concept as a “four-seater notchback sedan” that will measure 174.84 inches long (4.44 meters), which is about six inches longer that the current A3 model. The redesigned A3 also promises a little extra power and more premium features. The A3 concept car features a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder, 408-horsepower engine, a seven-speed S-tronic twin clutch transmission, Audi’s quattro AWD system, LED headlamps, a trapezoidal grille, and an arching roofline and low C-pillar for a coupe-like appearance.
Illustrations after the jump.
The A3 is basically a VW Golf/Rabbit with different styling and more luxury features; it also shares many design elements with Audi’s slightly larger A4 premium compacts. The new A3s will maintain these family ties. U.S. sales should begin late next year for the 2012 campaign after an early-2011 rollout for Europe and the UK.
As for 2012 Audi A3 styling, Autocar reports that division design chief Wolfgang Egger has “chosen a slightly edgier appearance with tauter surfacing…‘Expect a more distinctive look, but one that has clear links to the existing A3,’ was how one Audi source described [it].” The new A3 should also have clear links to the latest A4, if published renderings are accurate, including similar body side sculpting and “eagle-beak” tail lamps. Car and Driver says the redesign will include LED running lights, as on other newer Audis, and a grille shape like that of the recently introduced Euro-market A1 subcompact.
Leave a Reply