Upcoming Audi A3 spied in India

Audi’s upcoming entry level car, the A3 has been spied in India. The A3 will be launched in the second quarter of 2014 which means it could be as early as next month. 

The car in these pictures looks like the entry level variant. While the badges on the car we spotted have been removed, the absence of Audi’s signature LEDs in the headlights and fabric upholstery on the inside indicate an aggressively priced base variant. The A3 gets five-spoke alloy wheels as standard while the top-end variant could get the nine spoke alloys as seen on the ones displayed on the A3 at the Auto Expo in February. The higher variants of the A3 will get a leather package and LED headlamps. Audi could very well assemble the A3 in India from the launch itself.

The A3 sedan will rival the upcoming Mercedes CLA. It is called a sport limousine to distance it from the larger A4 ‘proper’ sedan but that doesn’t mean it is too small on the inside or a considerably lesser car. The A3 will come with a 1.8-litre TFSI petrol engine developing 180 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque and a 2.0-litre diesel motor with 152 PS power and 320 Nm torque rating, both familiar engines doing duty in the Audi range sold here. Two gearboxes should be on offer – the 6-speed manual unit from the Q3S and the familiar S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox.

The A3 looks unmistakably Audi with its jagged edged headlights and tail lamps, the large gaping grille extending to the bumpers and the horizontal waistline extending from the headlights. 

The A3 sedan will target a younger audience like Mercedes does with the A-Class and BMW with the 1-series.  But unlike its German competitors, Audi has decided to launch a sedan as the most affordable car in its range most likely because the sedan body style is seen as a status symbol in India. And since it will be assembled here, expect the A3 to be priced on par with these hatchbacks or even undercut them.