Audi this year in Geneva Salon gave us a first glimpse of the next generation A3 range with a sports sedan concept packing a powerful 408 horsepower. Now we learn that Ingolstadt manufacturer will return to the show in Switzerland next year with the actual production version of its premium C-segment model.
The third generation of the A3 will be lighter and more efficient than its predecessor, while Audi will expand the range to include more variations.
In an interview with the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Audi said chief designer Stefan Sielaff, company's response to the BMW 1 series and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class "will certainly be recognizable as an A3."
This means that the design of the new model will be an evolution of the current model, the adoption of elements of the brand newest style, like the grille to six points.
Sielaff said the company invests heavily in the new A3 is "the accuracy and quality, so that the customer understands what you spend your money."
The new A3 is the first model to be based on the VW group to the modular architecture new MQB platform that will support a wide variety of models ranging from Polo to the Passat. The new platform is designed for transverse engine application, but it is flexible enough to be used in cars, which vary considerably in size.
This flexibility will also be used for A3, which will be offered in four body styles sporting two different wheelbases. In addition to the three-door and convertible models will measure 4.26 meters long and has a wheelbase 2595 mm long, the range also includes five-door A3 Sportback models and four-door sedan, both with a long wheelbase 2630 mm.
"We basically created by two couples, like the Audi A4 and A5 range," says Sielaff. "The front is the same in all four versions, but the sedan and convertible bonds have a wider wheel arches and a slightly different form of side panels and rear lights."
Sielaff also reveals that the interior of the production version of the A3 is the same as the Shanghai Motor Show, the sans-tron concept and A3 white leather covers the dashboard. Its main features are the four round air vents, center console, integrated into the wider MMI multimedia controls and a pop-up screen at the top of the dashboard.
The new A3 will be approximately 10 percent lighter than its predecessor and other engines, turbo 140hp gain new VW group 1.4-liter TFSI engine with cylinder deactivation system that allows you to work on two cylinders at partial loads, which help reduce the consumption of the new model.
Less than six months that remain before the official launch of the A3 is almost complete. Sielaff, however, until another revelation for Audi plans ". We are the successor of the TT, the new Q7, R8, and the first successor of A4/A5 family"
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