The Volkswagen Group’s compact cars are in
for a significant makeover, and with the new-gen VW Golf and Skoda Octavia
already unveiled, it’s time for the Seat Leon and Audi A3 to follow in their
footsteps. The latter has already been spied testing
in Scandinavia, close to the Arctic Circle, in four-door body style. The
brand’s rival to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan wore its
production body beneath the vinyl stickers and we expect it to remain pretty
much the same, bar the steel wheels and light bar mounted at the front.
While on the outside it will look like an
evolved version of its predecessor, with a somewhat more dynamic styling, the
interior will be massively overhauled. Our spy photographers have already
provided us a first look inside the new-gen A3, revealing the new infotainment
system incorporated into the dashboard, very sporty design of the air vents on
the driver’s side, new steering wheel and digital instrument cluster.
Elsewhere, there will also be new trims and upholsteries, giving customers more
personalization options.
The 2021 A3 Sedan will go down the
electrified route, like its hatchback sibling. This means that mild- and
plug-in hybrid powertrains are expected, alongside the usual gasoline and
diesel units. Audi won’t launch a battery-electric variant, as that one is
reserved for a standalone model belonging in the e-tron family. The S3 and RS3
will live on, albeit probably with more power than the outgoing ones, which
will allow them to better challenge the Mercedes-AMG A35, A45 and A45 S trio.
The exact launch date is unknown, but we
could see the new A3 Sportback at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, next March,
followed by the Sedan a couple of months later.
