Audi gives media a sneak peak at the 2015 A3.
For such a small car, Audi has a lot riding on the success of the all-new A3 sedan that got its debut during a media sneak peek prior to this week’s New York International Auto Show.
The 2015 Audi A3 is targeting a downsized segment that could become one of the fastest-growing niches of the U.S. luxury car market, industry analysts forecast, especially if fuel prices continue to rise. The German maker developed a sedan version of the compact A3 specifically for the U.S. market rather than going with the next-generation wagon – Sportback in Audi lingo – that will be the primary offering in Europe and most other parts of the world.
“Sedans are the way to go” in the U.S., where wagons have traditionally been a hard-sell, said Scott Keogh, head of Audi’s U.S. sales subsidiary, during a conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com. The outgoing Sportback model had a modest but loyal following, the executive noted, and actually gained some traction last year, especially for its diesel-powered version. But the new A3, which will launch in the spring of next year, is expected to be far more popular.
Declaring it “crucial” to Audi of America’s aggressive growth plans, Keogh said the new A3 will be the brand’s “third leg, a real volume car,” along with the bigger A4 and A6 luxury lines.
The redesign of the compact A3 reflects shifting trends in the luxury market. Buyers are not only downsizing but also they’re expecting today’s smaller offerings to deliver the sort of luxurious features that were once found in larger and notably more expensive models.
“This A3 line-up redefines the standards of its class in dynamics, efficiency, technology, craftsmanship and performance,” Keogh said during his media preview.
Inside the 2015 Audi A3 sedan.
Among other things, the new model will offer technologies such as a touchscreen-based infotainment system using the next-generation Audi MMI control system. Buyers also will be able to set up a mobile 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The A3 will come with some standard features such as leather upholstery, Bluetooth hands-free calling, rain-sensing wipers and a panoramic glass sunroof. Upgrades include a Bang & Olufson sound system.
While the new A3 may seem tiny compared to more mainstream models like the Audi A4 – or BMW 3-Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class – it’s actually not as small as it seems, at least not on a historic basis, Keogh noted in his conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com. At 175.5 inches, nose-to-tail, it’s actually “the exact size” of earlier versions of the A4. “People don’t necessarily want” their cars to keep getting larger, the executive said, referring to the trend among most luxury products during the last several decades.
The new chassis has been modified, meanwhile, to provide more room for passengers, both front and rear.
Audi will use its turbo 2.0-liter TFSI in the 2015 S3 quattro model.
The 2015 Audi A3 sedan will be offered with three different powertrains, including a 170-horsepower base engine, a turbocharged inline-four displacing 1.8-liters. Performance numbers for the more sporty 2.0-liter turbocharged engine won’t be released until closer to launch. It will be used in both the A3 quattro all-wheel-drive model and the even sportier S3 quattro.
Audi also plans to offer a 2.0-liter turbodiesel. The previous A3 diesel was well-reviewed, including winning the coveted Green Car of the Year trophy several years ago. All three engines will be mated to a six-speed S tronic transmission.
While Audi originally planned not to offer the A3 Sportback in the U.S. it has shifted gears and will now use the wagon as the platform for its first U.S. plug-in hybrid, the A3 e-Tron, which is likely to reach the U.S. market late in 2014.
Audi's A3 e-tron will be just the first of a planned assortment of plug-ins to come from the maker.
The European version of the plug-in was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. It is expected to yield about 30 miles of range in battery-only mode in the American version, with the combined power of its electric and gas drive system rated at 204-hp and 258 lb-ft.
“We believe in plug-in technology,” said Keogh, telling TheDetroitBureau.com that “there will certainly be more plug-ins from Audi” in the years ahead.
In an unusual move, Audi gave reporters a peek at the new A3, but U.S. consumers will have to wait until later in the year, probably at the Los Angeles Motor Show next autumn. The official public debut of the sedan will come at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. That market echoes the tastes of the U.S. in many ways, including a preference for sedans over wagons.
(For more on the new Audi A3 Sportback e-Tron plug-in hybrid, Click Here.)