Next-generation Audi A3 delayed by a year

[AVANTI R5]

The arrival of the next-gen A3 has been delayed by Audi by a full year as the carmaker confronts the development of several other brand new models like the A1 hatch and Q3 soft-roader. Initially scheduled to arrive at the end of 2009, the A3 will now reach the markets in the first half of next year in the base 3- and 5-door hatch versions.

Further down the road Audi will be adding a new Cabrio model and Sportback wagon, and even a 4-door coupe together with an Allroad soft-roader, some reports are saying.This is intended to aid the current A3 to rival the BMW 1-series range together with a range of sporty models derived on the next-gen Mercedes A and B-Class.

Volkswagen’s Golf will once more share the underpinnings of the new A3, which implies that Audi’s most current modular platform design had been excluded.

In contrast to the new model, however, the footprint of the latest A3 will increase in dimension and will come with a sleeker profile.The most current generation Audi B8 A4, for example, increased in length by about 14 cm above the preceding version, placing it near the 5-series and E-class with regards to size. The vacancy left behind will be filled by a new A3-drived sedan which, is reportedly, going to measure 4.2 meters long and come with a styling like that of a coupe.

Engine lineup for the A3 will most likely include a line of 4-cylinder power units ranging in displacement from 1.2 to 2.0 liters. The basic unit will be a 1.2 TFSI that produces 125hp and 200Nm of torque and a 1.8 liter TFSI that produces 160hp and 250Nm of torque maximum. Completing the range will be a 2.0 TFSI generating 211hp and 350Nm of torque. New turbocharged 4-cylinders are expected for the new S3 model in contrast to the naturally ventilated V6 seen in the present version

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[Chromer]

Delayed by a year? How long does it take to scratch off "Golf" and put an A3 sticker on a car?

[wrx_gtp]

Originally Posted by Chromer

Delayed by a year? How long does it take to scratch off "Golf" and put an A3 sticker on a car?

...High five!

[quentinberg007]

Originally Posted by Chromer

Delayed by a year? How long does it take to scratch off "Golf" and put an A3 sticker on a car?

Well, they have to tack 5 inches or so to the butt of the Golf.

[darknightohio]

Originally Posted by quentinberg007

Well, they have to tack 5 inches or so to the butt of the Golf.

They also have to work on making the interior nicer than the GTI. I have read some reviews comparing the new GTI interior with an IS250 and BMW 3-series, they say its that good.

[flexer]

Originally Posted by darknightohio

They also have to work on making the interior nicer than the GTI. I have read some reviews comparing the new GTI interior with an IS250 and BMW 3-series, they say its that good.

the 3 series has to have the ugliest interior in a claimed luxury car i have ever seen......

gti>3 series when it comes to interiors...

[AVANTI R5]

These are the first rendered images of the new Audi A3, including the new saloon model that has been conceived to help sales in North America.The new Audi A3 will go on sale in early 2011 and the saloon model will sit alongside the hatchback, sportback and cabriolet body styles.

“We’ve taken a good look at what it will take to better establish the A3 in the US market in the future,” said an Audi insider. “The four-door layout is something North American car buyers continue to seek, especially from a premium brand such as Audi.”

The decision to add a saloon to the A3 line-up makes good sense, because the four-door version of the A4 has grown appreciably in size over the years. Since its launch in 1994 it has put on 320mm in length, 90mm in width and 15mm in height - essentially taking it up a class.

The A3 saloon will be a similar size to the Volkswagen Jetta, at around 4550mm long. Unlike the relatively upright and conservatively detailed Jetta, though, the A3 is expected to have a contemporary, coupé-like profile with a heavily rounded roofline. Boot capacity should be in the region of 500 litres - 130 litres more than today’s A3 Sportback.

Underpinning the new A3 will be a new platform, one generation beyond today’s PQ35 Golf chassis. It will also be used across two size classes and four brands — Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen — to produce up to three million cars per year.

The suspension will retain a combination of MacPherson struts at the front and a four-link arrangement at the rear, but expect developments such as adaptive damping to find their way into the new model.

The next A3 won’t introduce any radical styling changes, sticking to the formula that has helped it to outsell the BMW 1-series and Mercedes-Benz A-class in the UK.

Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger is said to have chosen a slightly edgier appearance with tauter surfacing for the new car, in keeping with recent styling trends out of Ingolstadt.
“Expect a more distinctive look, but one that has clear links to the existing A3,” was how one Audi source described the car’s new design direction.

Audi will kick off the revised A3 range with a new turbocharged 1.2-litre TFSI engine. Its 105bhp is slightly higher than the output of today’s entry-level normally aspirated petrol 1.6, with 15 per cent better fuel economy.
Further up the range there will be 140bhp 1.4, 170bhp 1.8 and 210bhp 2.0 TFSI units.

The next S3 quattro will stick with a 2.0 turbo, but with a 15bhp increase in power to 280bhp.

At the other end of the scale will be a frugal 1.6 TDI, with a new 105bhp 1.6-litre diesel and automatic stop-start. The most fuel efficient of Audi’s future A3 models will be good for 75mpg and less than 100g/km of CO2.

Other diesel engines will include a 2.0-litre unit with 140bhp and, in a higher state of tune, 170bhp. Audi is also working on a twin-turbocharged version of this engine, claimed to match the output of BMW’s twin-turbo 2.0-litre four, as used in the 123d, with 204bhp.

Regular A3 models will once again be front-wheel drive, while selected models will offer four-wheel drive as an option, but it will be a multi-plate clutch system rather than Audi’s traditional torsen set-up.

In addition to the standard six-speed manual gearbox there will be an optional seven-speed dual-clutch ’box. Today’s dry-sump DQ250 unit will be mated to lower-end engines, while a new DQ400 ’box will be used with more powerful engines.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...udi-A3/239871/