This Could Be The End Of Volkswagen's Gas-Powered Fun Cars

[AVANTI R5]

This Could Be The End Of Volkswagen's Gas-Powered Fun Cars

News of the A3 e-tron spells doom for the GTI.

The upcoming Q4 e-tron will soon introduce a more affordable electric option to the Audi brand, but the push towards EVs won't stop there. Audi has already confirmed that its two smallest European models, the A1 and Q2, will not receive new generations and will instead be replaced by EVs. A new report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport now claims that the next-generation Audi A3 Sedan won't be offered with a gasoline-powered variant.

The current A3 just arrived on the US market for the 2022 model year, so this all-electric model isn't slated to arrive until 2027. It will reportedly ride on Volkswagen Group's Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is currently in development to underpin upcoming EVs from all VW brands as part of the company's 'New Auto' strategy.

SSP will make its first appearance with the Volkswagen Project Trinity, a next-generation EV that will set new benchmarks for charging speeds and range, likely exceeding 400 miles on a charge. VW says Trinity will feature software upgrades requiring little to no hardware changes from the factory. The car will launch with Level 2 autonomous technology, which will later be upgraded to Level 4 via over-the-air updates.

Since the architecture is scalable, turning it into an A3 should be fairly simple. It's currently unclear if this next-generation A3, likely called the A3 e-tron, will be offered as a hatchback, sedan, or both.

2022-2023 Audi A3 Sedan Rear Angle View Audi
2022-2023 Audi A3 Sedan Dashboard Audi


This news leaves us with several lingering questions. If the A3 will be all-electric, does this mean the S3 Sedan and RS3 will also lose their internal combustion engines? While the S3 could be adequately replaced by an EV, the RS3's characteristic five-cylinder engine would be sorely missed. And what about the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R? The Golf and A3 are currently based on the same MQB platform, so it stands to reason there can't be a gas-powered Golf without a gas-powered A3.

If we are reading the tea leaves correctly, this could be the final generation of small VW Group hatchbacks/sedans with internal combustion engines.

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[godfather2112]

I've said it for a while, but I think the GTi / R are two vehicles that would make perfect EV fun cars. Neither car in ICE format is a "sports car," but more of a great DD that performs rather well. I'd be willing to be dollars to peanuts that if a golf R EV was offered tomorrow with around 300 miles per charge, awd, 0-60 in 5 seconds or under for $50k or less, people would be snagging them up left and right

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

I've said it for a while, but I think the GTi / R are two vehicles that would make perfect EV fun cars. Neither car in ICE format is a "sports car," but more of a great DD that performs rather well. I'd be willing to be dollars to peanuts that if a golf R EV was offered tomorrow with around 300 miles per charge, awd, 0-60 in 5 seconds or under for $50k or less, people would be snagging them up left and right

I'd be in line, no doubt. You can drop the mileage down to 200 if it knocks down the price too.

The writing's on the wall. For most ICE niche cars, this is going to be the last round... get it while you can.