Future Audi A3 Hatch and Sedan Previewed in Official Sketches

Audi released a set of sketches portraying the next-generation A3, which is expected to go on sale in late 2012. The officials drawings show the three-door hatchback and sedan versions, plus a view of the interior.

The A3 Sedan sketch does not come as a surprise, since it shows a car very similar in design with the A3 Concept premiered by Audi at the Geneva Motor Show. The three-door hatchback, however, is more interesting, as this is the first time Audi offers a sneak peak at the design of its future compact model.

The three-door version looks sharp and dynamic, sporting a narrow glasshouse, massive wheel arches and an interesting crease in the lower part of the door.

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VIDEO: 2012 Audi RS3 Chasing RS3 During Monte Carlo Presentation

In March, Audi invited members of the press to test drive the new RS3 Sportback on the roads of the Principality of Monaco. Not surprisingly, some of the journalists filmed their encounter with the smallest and most affordable RS model ever produced by Audi on the twisty mountain roads of the principality. Read more »

Audi: 38 Percent of all Models Sold in 2010 were Equipped with Quattro Drive

In 2010, the year that Audi celebrated the 30th anniversary of the quattro, it sold an impressive 437,792 quattro-equipped cars, or about 38 percent of its total production. The brand with the four rings said it sells more all-wheel drive vehicles than any other premium manufacturer in the world.

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Photo Gallery: Audi RS3 Sportback Takes to the Streets of Monaco

The 408HP A3 Sedan concept may have overshadowed the RS3 Sportback at the Geneva Motor Show, but now Audi has turned its attention to the latter. The brand with the four-ring logo released a new set of photos showing off its 340 horsepower-strong model posing on the streets of Monaco, as the company gets ready to begin shipping the first examples of the hot hatch this spring.

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Geneva 2011: Audi A3 Concept Packs 408 Horsepower, Previews Production Model

Audi has officially unveiled its new A3 concept sedan at the Geneva motor show, teasing us with a new, attractive, entry-level AWD four-door to complement its A3 lineup and put Mercedes' small cars in the closet. The concept measures 4.44 meters long, 1.84 meters wide, and 1.39 meters high, and makes use of a lot of CFRP.

That carbon fiber-reinforced plastic finds its way into the grille, front air intakes, 20-inch wheels, side mirrors, and rear diffuser, while aluminum highlights can be found inside and out.

Under the hood are a 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder (300 kW / 408 horsepower ; 500 Nm / 369 lb-ft) and 7-speed S tronic transmission which help hurl the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Efficiency figures go like this: 9.1 liters/100 km (25.85 US mpg), with 212 grams CO2 / km (341.18 g/mile) in emissions.

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Audi RS3 Sedan Concept: First Real Life Photos Surface Online

We've already seen teaser sketches of Audi's new A3 Sedan Concept, but tonight, the first real life photos of the design study started circulating around the web ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Geneva Salon . While Audi prefers to call the concept the A3 Sedan, the RS3 Sedan moniker sounds more appropriate given the RS3 Sportback-sourced 2.5-liter turbocharged five-pot with 408 ponies lurking under the bonnet.

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Audi A3 Sedan Concept with 408HP Officially Previews Next Generation Model

It's been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Its main purpose is to preview both the saloon variant and the styling direction of the next A3, which is scheduled for a rollout in 2012 and will also include the successors to today's three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and the two-door convertible models.

"The four-seater notchback sedan offers a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family," Audi said in a statement.

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VIDEO: Audi A3 Turns Into Icicle after NY Water Main Breaks

An Audi A3 Sportback owner in New York City's East Village received a chilly surprise on Monday after finding his car literally encased in ice. The freakish incident occurred after a pipe broke under the street sometime during the weekend causing a sinkhole that formed a small pond around the Audi. The passing cars splashing water all over the A3 and subfreezing temperatures did the rest. As you can see in the video after the jump, the ice was so thick that the owner's attempts to free the car from its frozen cage with a chisel and a hammer proved futile.

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VIDEO: New Audi RS3 Sportback Drifts its Way on the Snow

Now here's a video worthy of the all-new Audi RS3's sporty credentials and quattro heritage. Forget about the bland static footage of the car released at launch because this clip is -mostly- about having some slideways fun on the snow accompanied by the howling sounds of the RS3's 340HP turbocharged inline-five. Enjoy the 7 minute long film, which was shot in Canada, right after the break.

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VIDEO: New Audi RS3 Sportback 340HP

Earlier this week, we brought you a first look at Audi's second proposal in the hot hatchback segment after the 265HP S3, the new RS3 Sportback that borrows the TT RS' 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with 340 ponies. Now we have the first video that takes us up close and personal with the RS3. Unfortunately, the clip does not include any running footage of the car. The European market order books for the RS3 Sportback open in December with prices in Germany starting from €49,900.

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New Audi RS3 Breaks Cover, gets 340HP Turbocharged Five-Cylinder

It's official; Audi has finally lifted the wraps off the all-new RS3 Sportback that will be if not the, one of the most powerful and fastest hatchbacks in the market when it goes on sale in Europe in early 2011. It adopts the TT RS' 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine producing 340-horsepower and 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft) of torque available between 1,600 rpm and 5,300 rpm.

Power is transmitted to the road through a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission with two auto and one manual modes, and the Ingolstadt firm's quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.

Weighing in at 1,575 kg (3,472.28 pounds), the RS3 completes the standard 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in a mere 4.6 seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). Audi adds that the RS3 returns an average fuel consumption of 9.1 liters per 100 km (25.9 US mpg) and emits 212 g CO2 per km (341.18 g/mile).

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Minor Tweaks for 2011 Audi A3 Hatch, Sportback, Cabriolet and S3

Along with the updated 2011 TT Coupe and Roadster, and Q7 SUV, Audi also announced model year changes for its A3 range that includes the three door hatchback, five-door Sportback, Cabriolet and the sporty S3 hot hatch.

You'll probably have a hard time noticing the differences, but Audi says that on the 2011 A3s, the single-frame grille element and trims on the B-columns are painted in high-gloss black, the lower air inlets have chrome struts, the exterior mirrors are revised and there are chrome strips in the door handles (except on the S3).

A new rear diffuser insert, the tinted tail lamps on the three-door version, an updated line of alloy wheel designs and the addition of four new paint finishes (Volcano Red, Dakota Gray, Amethyst Gray and Scuba Blue) complete the exterior upgrades.

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Audi Enhances A3 Cabriolet's Range with 1.2-liter Turbo TFSI

The smallest capacity petrol engine in Audi's range has made its way under the hood of the European-market A3 soft-top convertible. Featuring turbocharging and direct injection technology, the 1.2 TFSI produces the same 105HP output as the 1.6-litre naturally aspirated unit it replaces, along with 175Nm of peak torque - a 27Nm increase over its predecessor.

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Audi S3 Black Performance Edition with 337HP by MR Car Design

The Black Performance Edition is MR Car Design's tuning take on the latest Audi S3 hot hatch which benefits from performance and styling mods. The German firm reworked the S3's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, pushing output to 337-horsepower and 450Nm or 332 lb-ft of torque through the use of a Stage III kit that includes among other upgrades, a reprogrammed engine control unit, a sport exhaust and cat system and a larger intercooler.

MR Car Design did not disclose performance figures but apparently the hot hatch will be faster than the standard 265HP model that hits 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds (manual gearbox) and reaches a top speed of 250km/h.

The modded S3 rides on black 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop Sportmaxx high performance tires size 235/35 ZR19 while buyers can also opt for an upgraded braking system from StopTech and adjustable coilovers from KW Automotive.

The treatment is completed with a matte black vinyl wrap from Germany's Cover EFX that gives the S3 a more menacing look.

Nurburgring-Spotting: BMW M3 Coupe and Audi S3 in Police Wrap

You never know what you'll stumble upon in and around the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany. It may be a heavily camouflaged prototype model performing test runs like the ones we often post here on Carscoop, or in this case, a pair of privately owned cars dressed in a eye-catching police uniform (okay, most likely a vinyl wrap). The M3 Coupe and Audi S3 faux police cars appear to belong to a group called 'Ring-Police' details of which remain unknown for the time being. More photos after the jump.

Via: Autogespot

Audi UK Prices A3 with S-Tronic and Start-Stop System

German automaker Audi has revealed UK pricing for its updated A3 1.4 TFSI petrol and 1.6 TDI diesel models with the S tronic dual-clutch transmission that benefit from the introduction of the fuel saving start-stop function which was previously reserved for four-cylinder manual gearbox models. Priced from £18,300 (OTR), the A3 1.4 TFSI S tronic with start-stop sprints from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 9.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 126mph (203 km/h), while returning a combined 53.3 mpg UK (44.4 mpg US) with 124g/km of CO2.

The A3 1.6 TDI diesel S tronic with start-stop is priced from £18,905 OTR. According to Audi, it accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 11.7 seconds, has a top speed of 121mph or 195 km/h and achieves a combined fuel economy of 67.3 mpg UK (56.0 mpg US) with 109g/km of CO2.

Both models are available for order now with first deliveries expected in early December.

Audi A3 and A3 Sportback get Revised 1.6 TDI with Even Better Fuel Economy and Lower Emissions

It's only been three months since Audi began offering the VW Group's new 1.6-liter common rail diesel engine on the A3 range, but the German firm has already announced a newer version of the 105HP 1.6 TDI with lower fuel consumption and improved CO2 emissions. In particular, the four-cylinder TDI continues to deliver the same output as before at 105HP but peak torque has been increased from 230Nm to 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft). Audi claims that fuel consumption on the combined cycle has been reduced from 4.1lt/100km (57.4 mpg US) to 3.8lt/100 km (61.9 US mpg) with CO2 emissions of 99g/km, down from 109g/km.

The reworked TDI engine that uses Audi's start and stop technology is linked to a five-speed manual gearbox featuring a final drive ratio longer by some seven percent.

The German firm says that the diesel engine propels the three-door A3 from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 11.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 190 km/h (118 mph) while the A3 Sportback reaches 100 km/h in 11.7 seconds. The corresponding figures for the current A3 1.6 TDI 105HP 3-door are 11.4 seconds and 194km/h.

Audi will begin selling the A3 1.6 TDI and the A3 Sportback 1.6 TDI in Europe in the first half of 2010 with prices said to be similar to those models already offered on the market.

Audi Brings 2010 A3 Sportback TDI diesel to the States, Priced from $29,950

The second diesel offering from Audi to be launched in the US this year after the Q7 TDI is the 2010 A3 Sportback TDI and it will begin arriving at the company's dealers in late November 2009. The base price for the front-wheel drive model with Audi's S tronic dual-clutch transmission is $29,950, but you'll have to add another $825 to that for destination charge, taxes, title, options, and dealer charges. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbo diesel that makes 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque offering the five-door hatch a top speed of 130mph.

According to Audi the A3 TDI returns an EPA-estimated of 30mpg in the city and 42mpg on the highway. For some reason, Audi thought it would be a good idea to compare the diesel-powered A3 hatchback to the Lexus HS 250h four-door sedan in its press release saying that the Japanese model "offers similar combined fuel economy with hybrid technology, but not superlative highway mileage range."

For what it matters, the 187HP HS 250h, which starts from $34,200 in the States, received EPA-estimated ratings of 35 mpg city and 34 mpg on the highway for a combined 35 mpg.

VW and Audi Models Recalled Over Two Separate DSG Problems

Volkswagen Group of America has issued two separate recall for numerous Audi and VW models equipped with its DSG dual-clutch transmission. The first recall involves 16,000 2009-2010MY cars manufactured between September 2008 and August 2009. The models affected are Audi's A3, TT Coupe and Roadster, plus VW's Eos and Jetta Sedan and SportWagen. In this case, a faulty temperature sensor could cause the DSG transmission to shift into neutral while the vehicle is being driven.

The company said that it will contact owners of the affected models so they can take the cars to local dealers for any necessary repairs free of charge.

The second recall affects approximately 43,000 Volkswagens and 10,300 Audis of the 2007-2009 model years including the VW R32, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GTI, Eos, as well as the Audi A3 and TT.

According to the German automaker, some customers reported transmission performance issues under certain driving conditions. Volkswagen claims that the problem was caused by a faulty component inside the Mechatronic unit. The company will repair or replace the components in the transmissions of the affected models free of charge.

Furthermore, VW said that it will extend its New Vehicle Limited Warranty to cover the DSG transmissions affected by the customer service program and the voluntary safety recall. According to the company, the extended warranty is for 10-years/100,000-miles and can be transferred to subsequent owners of the cars.

"Safety, customer satisfaction, quality and long-term reliability are top priorities at Volkswagen and Audi. We have been studying the symptoms customers have reported, and are working closely with the NHTSA," said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO, VWGoA. "We listened to our customers' concerns, and are taking action to address them. We are focused on taking all the appropriate actions to ensure the complete satisfaction of our existing customers."