SPY PICS: Audi A3 sedan
Audi's new compact sedan spotted on the autobahn shows production ready body workNew spy photos of the upcoming Audi A3 sedan, the first sedan derivative of the new A3, hint that the car's official unveiling is not far off.
The photos, snapped by Carparazzi, show a vehicle that is unmistakably Audi, with its stylised headlights and recognisable design language front and rear. The overall shape of the car isn't much changed from the Audi small sedan concept revealed at the 2011 Geneva motor show, with its stubby boot and sporty stance.
Compared to our more recent CG rendering of how the A3 sedan could look, the differences are minimal - even the fog lights appear to be spot on.
The new model will be the first sedan derived from the new A3 model, which is based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB platform that also underpins the new Golf and Skoda Octavia. Rivals outside the VW Group will include vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz's upcoming CLA and BMW's mooted 1 Series sedan.
According to the spy photographers who took these photos, the interior will be nearly as spacious as the A4 and it goes without saying that the usual range of turbo-petrol and diesel engines will be offered with the new A3 sedan, mirroring those already found in the hatchback and sportback models.
That would mean a 92kW 1.4-litre petrol engine would open the range in Australia, book-ended by 147kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol. Diesels run the gamut in between, with a 1.6-litre 77kW unit and a 2.0-litre oiler that generates 103kW filling the gap.
It remains to be seen if the A3 sedan range will include a go-fast RS3 model powered by the rip-snorting 250kW 2.5-litre turbo five pot engine found in the hatch. A slightly less intense S3 sedan version is more likely.
Weight saving aluminium components used in the A3 hatch have helped the car shed significant weight, so the sedan model should likewise be a trim unit with adroit handling to match.
Judging from the photographs, it appears as though the Audi A3 sedan is in the final stages of testing, with most of the body work looking to be final production spec. It's possible the production version could break cover as early as March at the 2013 Geneva motor show.
– with Carparazzi
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