Audi is quickly growing into a hot contender for the company with the most product lines in the business. The Ingolstadt-based automaker has no choice but to expand quite rapidly in order to catch and surpass its fellow German nemesis BMW to become the world’s biggest premium car maker.
Because of these and other reasons, the new Audi A1 has now been announced. Forming the basis of of Audi’s entry-level onslaught, the A1 is pitched against cars like the MINI and the new Citroen DS3 which we’ve spotted in Jozi. These are premium cars aimed at the young at heart, sporting design elements to attract this digital crowd and performance engines to meet their throbbing hearts.
As far as design, Audi has chosen to go hatchback for now (a Sportback version is also being planned) and ultra compact. Dimensions are: 3.95 metres long, 1.74m wide, 1.42m tall and the wheelbase is 2.47m.
For such a small car, a high degree of individualisation options are to be made available. One of the more visible ones is the roof pillar which can be coloured in a number of different paint jobs. Modern-day niceties include Audi’s signature single-frame grille, LED daytime running lights, coupe-like C pillars and short overhangs.
Passengers will have the full use of cool stuff like the MMI system (with a 20GB hard drive for music), an optional 465 watt BOSE surround sound system and Bluetooth connectivity. Audi says it has made the interior a very cool and safe place to be. Materials used are said to be of high quality.
For go Audi chose an all-turbo assault plan consisting of two TFSI and two TDI engines. At the bottom is a 1.2TFSI making 63kW and 160Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed manual gearbox and is said to go from 0 – 100km/h in 12.1 seconds. The 1.4 TFSI kicks out 90kW and has peak torque of 200Nm. On the diesel side is the 1.6 TDI worth 77kW and 250Nm. Its less powerful version is the 66kW, 230Nm model with a claimed fuel average of 3.8 litres per 100km.
Audi will launch the A1 in South Africa in early 2011. No confirmation of which engines will be sold here is available at this point in time. Prices should start at around R230 000.
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