Audi presents the A3 Limited Edition, an especially valuable trim for its successful hatchback coming at a low price. Every Audi A3 body-type variant will be made available in this ‘Limited Edition’ version, which also brings along an update of the infotainment system of the car.

For the 3-door hatch and Sportback, the Limited Edition package include xenon head lamps and a set of 17″ alloys fitted with 225/45 tyres lifted from the ‘S-Line’ aesthetic package. Inside we find a Concert radio, central armrest, BlueTooth connectivity, rear parking aid and Cruise Control. The Sportback also gets a panoramic rooftop while the 3-door receives an electric sunroof. The A3 Cabriolet also gets the same xenon lights, larger wheels and parking assistance system, but with the addition of an automatic soundproof hood, leather seats and a so called Vienna trim package with aluminum inserts.

The Limited Edition package for A3 and A3 Sportback costs 1,900 €, for the Attraction variant it is priced at 1,700 € whereas for the Cabriolet it will come for an extra 1950 €.

View Audi A3 Limited Edition images

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Audi has revealed the interior of the next Audi A3 at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), currently ongoing in Las Vegas, where the German carmaker also brought some already known model of its range as well as the Urban concept car. Frankly, the dashboard of the new A3 looks elegant but pretty minimal. Among its most distinctive there is the electrically deploying dash-mounted 7″ LCD screen - which allows for 3D graphics - and the original “Phone Box”: it is an area located in the center console that works as a signal amplification chamber, passing the signal of the mobile phone to an antenna mounted on the outside of the car. This device allows for better reception, less dropped calls and faster data speeds. The electronics of the car are based on a MMX board (Multi-Media eXtension), a plug-in module whose highlight is a powerful 1.2 GHz Tegra 2 processor, courtesy of Nvidia. The new 2013 Audi A3 will be officially unveiled at the next Geneva Motor Show, in March.

The other highlight at the Audi’s stall in Vegas is the Urban Concept, a futuristic compact two seater powered by a 20 hp electric engine. This model can go from 0 to 60 km/h (37.2 mph) in about 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), with 50 km (31 miles) of range and charging time between 20 minutes and 2 hrs, depending on the voltage. Rumor has it that Audi Urban could actually become available to the general public in 2013 in the form of a 999 units limited edition series, but there is no official confirmation on the matter.

Here is an exclusive photo gallery of the Audi stand at the 2012 CES (courtesy of our buddies at Autoblog.it) as well as an official photo gallery released by Audi with the new interior of the next A3.

View the full Audi at the 2012 CES photo gallery
View the full 2013 Audi A3 interior photo gallery

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Audi is still testing the new A3 in the tough conditions of Swedish winter, as these new spy shots demonstrate. This mule of the 3-door hatchback version is still quite heavily disguised, but we can already tell that the overall proportions of the body are quite the same of the current model. It is fair to assume that the front end will end up being pretty different, with the kind of grille and headlights that were revealed by the A3 Concept. The latter has somewhat anticipated how the brand new 4 door sedan version of the A3 will look like, while Sportback and Convertible models are also in the works.

The 3-door hatchback should be the first bodystyle to be made available - with the others following shortly - and it is expected to make its debut at some point next year.

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Audi A3’s new generation has officially opened the road-tests season and today we are going to show you the first spy-shots of its new three-door coupe version. Despite the camouflage, it seems quite clear that in terms of overhall volume it is going to be the same of the current version, nevertheless its style seems to be more defined, aggressive and appealing.

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The Audi A3 e-Tron has many of the good characteristics that the “good ol’” fuel driven vehicle has - it’s sporty but sophisticated, and impressed our guys at the Challenge Bibendum as one of the best vehicles they had access to; and the guys from Autoblog.com in the English commentary in the video, said it was easily the most refined car at the show. It’s an Audi after all.

It’s still hard to get over just how quiet these vehicles are, and an amusing episode at the end of the take shows how sound producing technology needs to be developed for pedestrian safety. The fact that you can pull up right behind a person and they don’t even know you’re there, is a bit freaky really. Still, we’re looking forward to slightly quieter streets in the future if the market continues to take to electric vehicles.

This Audi A3 e-tron had a synchronous electric motor with a peak of about 136 hp and 270 Nm of torque, with another 82 hp as a constant supply. The 26.5 kW lithium ion batteries are placed in the central and rear part of the car, under the rear seats and where we would normally find the fuel tank. The battery weight is about 300 kg taking the A3 e-tron up to 1,592 kg. The range should be about 140 km.

Overall, the feeling we get is of being on board a sporty but comfortable car and the battery placement lowers the centre of gravity for a better drive feel and sportier ride. That doesn’t make for a future revolution on the car market, though, and especially the problems of not hearing an approaching vehicle will have to be solved quickly if we’re to be using these in the near future.

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Another one of Audi’s very long videos shows us all the design of the new Audi A3 e-tron concept. At least we know what a hybrid A3 sedan will look if it makes it to market. The model uses plug-in technology with a 1.4 TFSI engine with 211 hp and a rear electric motor with another 27 hp.

Unfortunately for Audi, despite the use of carbon fibre components, the A3 e-tron is not a lightweight vehicle at 1,720 kg. If the model gets to market in about 2013, we guess Audi will be working on getting that figure down in the meantime. The model uses a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and can do 54 km in electric mode alone. For all the close-ups, see the video.

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One of Europe’s favourite hatchbacks has completely evolved in recent months, with the Audi A3 becoming an A3 sedan concept and now joining the Audi e-Tron family with a hybrid powertrain concept. The A3 e-Tron Concept fits out the new sedan and not the hatchback with a 1.4 TFSI engine with 211 hp and an electric motor which provides another 27 hp.

The eletric motor on the A3 is powered by 12 kW lithium ion batteries placed behind the rear seats. Electric range is 54 km and the A3 e-Tron comes with a seven-speed, dual clutch gearbox and launch control. The sprint to 100 km/hr takes 6.8 seconds and top speed is 231 km/hr.

The chassis is based on the RS3 Sportback and includes MacPherson suspension and 20-inch wheels. Made from plenty of CFRP, including the single frame, front splitter and rear extractor, the Audi A3 e-Tron concept still weighs in at 1,720 kg due to the battery pack. There are no details available as to whether this is an all-wheel drive model or not, and Audi hasn’t released any production plans yet but it could appear sometime in 2013 after a 2012 A3 sedan debut.

Audi A3 e-tron Concept

Continue reading: Audi A3 E-Tron Concept

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These Audi A3 drawings show the next-generation A3 hatchback and the new coupé-like design it will develop. The new design is unsurprising given current trends in car design, and while Audi debuted the new A3 sedan concept at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the hatchback should still be the launch version of the revamped line-up.

The first new Audi A3 to appear will be the three-door model, to be followed by a five-door hatch, the new sedan and a soft top version. While the A3 sedan has mostly been developed for the US and Chinese car markets, we could see it in Europe in the course of 2012. It will be interesting to see if this new version usurps the popularity of the traditional hatchback.

More news includes the updated Audi A3 engine range. Beyond the standard petrol and diesel powertrains, we should also get hybrid, natural gas and electric versions. We expect some added touches to the interior - an increasingly important battle ground for luxury car manufacturers. The new Audi A3 could debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show in March.

Official new Audi A3 drawings

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When Audi revealed its A3 Concept sedan model at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, it made no secret of the fact that it’s a concept designed specifically with the US in mind. The German brand is already improving its status as a luxury brand in the US market, with record sales in the first quarter of this year, especially thanks to the new Audi A8.

It plans to continue pursuing BMW to usurp its throne as the world’s top premium automaker, particularly in emerging markets like China. But strong competition from BMW and Mercedes in the US means this market is equally important, and has both sales and brand growth potential for Audi.

When the Audi A3 Concept debuted live at the Geneva show we weren’t exactly overwhelmed by its style, being the latest in a long line of very similar looking cars from the company. It was, however, described variously by the American as “hot”, “svelte”, “sleek” and “shapely” although those labels could be applied to any number of coupe-sedan models currently on the market. What did Audi do that was so clever that has the Americans waiting to welcome the A3 sedan?

Continue reading: Analysis: Audi A3 Concept for the US - what the Americans say about their A3 sedan

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In releasing its 2010 sales results, Audi has decided to focus on an interesting figure: revealing that of all vehicles produced, a total of 437,792 were fitted with all-wheel drive. That gives Audi Quattro models 38 percent of total Audi sales, and clearly the company is happy to indicate that its world-famous 4WD technology gives it an edge over other premium models.

Still, the most models sold with Quattro tech are the Audi Q5 SUVs which makes sense in terms of the type of vehicle. No figures were released as to the other models sold with Quattro so we’re not suprised to find that an SUV takes the title - we’d be more interested to know how many coupé or sedans Audi sells with all-wheel drive tech. Equally unsuprising is the fact that Germany is the number one market for 4WD Audi’s.

Still, the famous Quattro technology is a strong selling point for Audi such that it will expand to other models in the future including the Audi A1, A6, Q3 and the new A3. The latter could prove to be a very interesting model for Audi in terms of commercial significance and we’ll be keeping an eye on how it sells.

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New renderings for the Audi A3 Sportback and Sedan models have been produced by Theophilus Chin, who has done another nice job. He has tried his hand at both models and we like what we see on the Sportback. The Audi A3 Concept revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show should be exactly what we can expect from the new A3 sedan when it gets to production.

While the A3 sedan will position itself below the Audi A4, and is designed to charm the American public, the European market will get another restyling of the A3 Sportback, which could borrow from the new sedan. In these pics it gets a more slanted rear in a coupé style which should give it a more modern design than the traditional boxy hatchback look.

Audi A3 renderings: sportback and sedan

Continue reading: New Audi A3 renderings: Sportback and sedan

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This video of the Audi A3 Concept from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show is one of the company’s steady and very thorough videos. We get a look at the A3 sedan concept from all angles. No driving footage is provided so we don’t get to see the 2.5-litre engine in action with its 408 hp. We do however, get to see the A3 Concept interior. While it’s still a showcar interior, there’s certainly some lovely quality finishes that Audi will be using to get its interior to the luxurious level required to compete with the other big German brands on the American market. We’ll be bringing you more this week.

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