Automotive News Europe - April 2020 - 20

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

LATEST LAUNCHES

A defining design characteristic of the new Audi A3 Sportback is its aggressively styled front end, featuring large
accentuated air inlets.

Audi makes new A3
greener and smarter
A

udi has found multiple ways to boost
the sustainability credentials of its
new fourth-generation A3 Sportback,
without sacrificing on the characteristics
that have consistently made it one of Europe's top-selling compact premium cars.
A key innovation Audi is premiering in
the car is the use of recycled materials
for the interior. Depending on the trim
level, more than 100 PET bottles are repurposed to create the car's seats and
floormats. "The idea comes from the
fashion industry, but it's the first time
we are incorporating this into a volume
model," Audi Product Manager Nikolai
Senst told Automotive News Europe.
Senst added that the material has the
same high-quality look and durability
one would expect from Audi. "You see
this trend increasingly among premium
brands, and we can imagine seeing it
rolled out into other segments."
The A3 Sportback's car-to-infrastructure
communications system also offers a
unique twist: it can be linked to traffic
lights in "smart cities" such as Düsseldorf, Germany. That means the driver
receives an indication whether it's possible to make the upcoming light at the
current speed. The aim of the system is
to help save fuel because the need to
speed up or slow down abruptly is reduced and the city's overall flow of traffic is improved.
While the A3 Sportback shares a number
of features with its fully connected, fully

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digital Volkswagen Golf sibling, Audi
made its car stand out by adopting an aggressively styled front end featuring large

The Basics
❚ Launch date: May (Europe)
❚ Base price: 28,900 euros

(Germany)

❚ Where built: Ingolstadt, Germany
❚ Main rivals: Mercedes A-Class,

BMW 1 Series, VW Golf

Fast Facts
❚ Powertrains: Three new engine

accentuated air inlets. The edgier look
also differs from the previous-generation
car's more conservative appearance.
"The A3 Sportback is an extremely important model for Audi. We have sold more
than 5 million since it launched in 1996,"
Senst said. "It's a very relevant offer for
many customer groups in all ages." Senst
hopes the car appeals to everyone from
young professionals looking to buy their
first premium car to young couples with
plans to start a family to empty nesters.
Buyers can look forward to major standard features such as LED headlights, a
fully digital cockpit and lane departure
warning as well as options such as a
head-up display and a multi-link rear suspension in the more powerful versions.

options will be offered at the launch,
one gasoline and two diesels with
power ranging from 114 hp to 148 hp.
Plug-in and mild hybrid variants are
scheduled for a later date.

The A3 receives VW Group's latest MIB3
infotainment architecture with a computing power that is 10 times greater
than its predecessor and an integrated
WiFi hotspot.

❚ Light: Digital daytime running lights

Living up to its more stylish appearance,
the car also offers sportier handling with
adaptive suspension, the brand's signature quattro all-wheel drive and progressive steering as options.

❚ Infotainment: The A3's standard

The A3 Sportback is Audi's No. 5-selling
model globally with close to 144,400 deliveries last year. It was the No. 2-selling
compact premium car in Europe, behind
the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

are a first for the vehicle. Consisting of
LED segments in 3-by-5 arrangement, they
can create special light signatures that
make the A3 recognizable in a crowd.
middle display is 10.1 inches, which is
nearly 2 inches larger than what is in
its sister model, the VW Golf. A 12.3inch display is offered in higher-priced
versions of the A3.

-- Christiaan Hetzner

APRIL 2020

http://www.autonewseurope.com

Automotive News Europe - April 2020

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