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Audi will offer a premature farewell to Q2 as the baby crossover will be discontinued after just one generation. The Supermini A1 will suffer the same fate as Four Rings will prioritize bigger and more expensive cars. Where does that leave the A3? Well, CEO Markus Duesmann says the compact vehicle has a future in the Ingolstadt lineup where it will serve as an entry-level model after the A1 and Q2 will be discontinued.
“When it comes to entry level, A3 or its successor, it might be entry level. So yes, I can commit from the A3 segment, we will offer a range. [of vehicles].”
The last part of his statement indicates there will be more than one model available. It’s unclear whether he’s referring to the Sportback and Sedan and/or one of the two body styles combined with the Q3. A crossover in this segment is bound to happen as the recently previewed Cupra Terramar will be built at the same Györ factory in Hungary alongside the mechanically linked next-generation Q3.
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Audi’s head honcho didn’t go into specifics in which direction the A3 would take, but our logic tells us it will be offered exclusively as an EV. The German luxury brand has announced its new ICE-powered car which will last be launched in 2025. Meanwhile, the fourth generation A3 is currently being introduced in May 2020, so it will last until 2027 or so. At that point, all newly launched Audis will be purely electric.
The Mercedes archive will reduce the number of compact offerings from seven to four while recent reports have speculated that some of BMW’s smaller ICE-powered vehicles are in jeopardy. The German trio seems to be gradually shifting focus to bigger vehicles because even though these are being sold in fewer quantities, they have much higher profit margins.
Returning to the A3 in hand, spy shots have revealed a high-riding derivative is on its way, possibly bringing in the Allstreet ending to echo the recently rebranded jacked-up A1. A mid-cycle facelift is expected in 2024 and should include the spicy S3 and RS3 as well. Needless to say, the iconic inline-five engine is dying so you might want to hurry.
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