Audi has confirmed that it will start selling the Q3 small SUV in 2011. The chairman of the board of Audi AG Rupert Stadler said the premium brand’s smallest SUV yet is to be built in Spain at the SEAT manufacturing facility. The Q5 is produced in Germany while the Q7 is made for Audi in Slovakia.
“We are counting on this Spanish site's efficiency,” says Stadler, “the excellent quality of the Production department, and its highly trained staff. We will use the Group's synergies to sharpen our competitive edge and help protect around 1,200 jobs. The decision furthermore safeguards workplaces at other Audi locations.”
According to Stadler, about €300 million (R3.5 billion) has been spent in developing the Q3. It’s a car that is smaller than the new Q5 and will compete with the BMW X1 when it comes into market.
It will feature engines like the VW Group’s 1.4TSI, 1.8 TSI and 2.0-litre TDI.
South Africa can expect to receive its first Audi Q3 units in 2012 at prices which I believe will start at over R480 000.
*pictures used are those of the Audi Cross Coupe Concept on which the Q5 is based.
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