Audi A1 still on the drawing board

Audis have a tendency to look the same but that doesn’t mean designers don’t toil for months on getting the lines of the cars just right. Case in point is the situation with the upcoming Audi A1 hatch, which is reported to be still on the drawing board despite plans for the unveiling of a concept car at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show.

The problem is that officials have deemed the concept car to be too radical for production and thus no final design has been signed off. The new A1 is a small hatchback based on Volkswagen’s Polo and is being targeted at BMW’s Mini range. According to Automotive News, the A1 will begin production in Brussels at the end of 2009 and should top 100,000 units per year.

Power will come from a turbocharged range of diesel and petrol engines with displacing starting at just 1.2L and moving up to 2.0L. Audi will also be showcasing a hybrid version of the A1 concept at the Tokyo show and it’s possible the mild-hybrid version could also enter production. Unlike most minicars, the A1 won’t be cheap and is expected to have a price tag of around €20,000.