SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW: Electrifying performance from Audi A3 e-tron

Audi has barely lifted the wraps off the A3 sedan at the Geneva motor show last month, but already there are other variations in the works.

How would a plug-in hybrid version sound, for instance? How about a plug-in, indeed, that will hit 100km/h from rest within 6.8 seconds?

The company's A3 e-tron concept has been presented at the Shanghai motor show as a clue to what the future holds for Audi in this sector of the market. In setting the design parameters for the concept plug-in, Audi has not short-changed drivers. There's a 1.4-litre TFSI engine sitting in the engine bay, offering the performance potential available from peak power of 155kW.

Additionally, the A3 e-tron features a 20kW electric motor that can keep the Audi moving on electric power alone for up to 54km. In traffic for shorter periods, the petrol engine, which operates through a seven-speed 'S tronic' double-clutch transmission, need never start unless the driver wishes. Lithium-ion batteries store the electric charge, which can be recovered from regenerative braking or from a domestic power outlet.

Weighing 1720kg, the A3 e-tron is not light, but Audi has thrown almost everything out of the car to keep mass to the minimum, and what's left behind is constructed using carbonfibre and aluminium alloy. Even the corporate-look 'single-frame' grille has been given the CFRP (carbonfibre-reinforced polymer) treatment, complete with aluminium louvres. Even door handles and mirror shells come in for their share of weight reduction.

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