Audi A3 Saloon at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show

The A3 compact saloon from the German car maker was seen for the first time at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. The car will reach Britain by autumn. Another S3 version of this car with a power packed 298 PS engine will be soon hitting the markets. A length of 4460mm, height of 1416mm, and a width of 1796mm defines the Audi A3 saloon specifications. These dimensions make this car 150 mm longer, 9mm shorter, and 11mm wider that the Audi A3 Sportback. While the wheelbase of 2636mm remains the same.

But when compared to the Mercedes CLA against who it will be rivalling is longer by 170mm, wider by 19mm, and higher by 19mm than this car. The wheelbase of A3 is shorter than that of CLA by 63mm.

The Audi spokesperson told media that the car has been mainly designed to attract young professionals who have just started their career with management jobs along with a small family but who want to have privileges to best quality stuff in life.

At present, Audi is assuming China as its biggest market that is full of working people who like to drive all by themselves rather than spending their hard earned money on chauffeurs. In Europe, the car sales will be mainly concentrated in Britain, Germany, and Russia.

The chairman of Audi, Rupert Stadler, says that they are also looking forward to produce a new model in their Chinese plant by end of this year. China is their largest market with wide scope of expansion. They also plan to launch the A3 e-tron there shortly.

In addition to the basic A3 Sportback architecture, this Audi A3 saloon features boot space as an add-on. Along with this the bonnet, bumpers, wheel arches, air intakes have also been revised in order to give this new car a refreshed look. The new A3 looks much slimmer, sleek, and stylish in this avatar. The boot of the car carries a capacity of 425 liters which exceeds that of A3 Sportback by 45 liters. Rest of the cabin is just an iteration of A3 Sportback.

The A3 saloon features three engine options: a 150 PS 2.0 Liters TDI Diesel power mill, a 180 PS 1.8 Liters TFSI petrol engine, and a 140 PS 1.4 Liters TFSI petrol engine.

The S3 saloon with four wheel drive will be introduced in 2014. It will be equipped with a 2.0 Liters TFSI power mill will allow it to glide from 0-100 kmph in just 4.9 seconds when coupled with an optional 6-speed S-tronic double clutch automatic transmission gearbox. A standard 6-speed manual transmission will be provided mandatorily in all cars that will take the car from 0-100 kmph in 5.3 seconds.
Stadler also likes to add here that with these cars they are now entering the biggest segment of the world – the compact saloon segment. A3 according to him is actually a cool sporty saloon. It is their first submission in this segment in China and they believe it will help them in maintaining number one position in China.