Audi is sharing more images and the full details of the new A3 Sportback, which hopes to successfully challenge other premium compact models like the BMW 1-Series and the Mercedes A-Class. The new Audi A3’s launch, as with every new model coming to the market right now, may have been disrupted by the global virus outbreak but that doesn’t stop us from delving into the company’s latest product.

The design of the new A3 is unsurprisingly an evolution of a familiar shape, influenced by Audi’s latest styling exercises. As with the Q3, the model’s SUV sibling, the new Audi A3 makes use of a wider hexagonal Singleframe front grille, paired with a set of LED headlights that are taller towards their outer edges to highlight the vehicle’s width and the slightly blistered fenders.


Audi has been playing quite a lot with concave surfaces lately, trying to invoke the Quattro heritage with its regular models in addition to the RS lineup. The new Audi A3 continues that trend, adopting a more dynamic appearance that we’re used to from them.

And while the exterior is instantly recognizable as an Audi, the interior received a proper overhaul, changing from the minimal style of its predecessor to a much sportier dashboard riddled with sharp angles, vents in unusual for Audi places and of course nice large digital displays for the instrument cluster and the infotainment system.


During this launch phase of the new Audi A3, customers in Europe will get the choice between two petrol and two diesel options; the familiar 1.5-liter TFSI four-cylinder petrol with 148 HP and 250 Nm of torque in both regular and mild-hybrid versions, with the latter employing a 48-volt belt alternator starter. Buyers looking for diesel can choose between the two available versions of the 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder unit, offering 114 HP and 148 HP respectively.

Both a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic are available from the get-go, the latter featuring that tiny selector as seen in the latest VW Golf, while more engines and the option of Quattro all-wheel drive will be added to the range shortly.