Posted on Thursday 27 March 2008
It’s been well documented BMW is developing a new minicar to rival cars like the Mercedes Smart and upcoming Volkswagen Up! (Lupo) family, but Audi too has confirmed it will be joining the fray with the launch of its new A1 compact hatch. The new super-mini is slated to arrive in late 2010 and will be offered with both coupe and cabrio bodystyles.
Unlike their French and Italian counterparts, who specialize in compact and efficient hatchbacks, German carmakers are mostly recognized for building big and thirsty luxury cars. Thus it’s the German labels that will be finding it the hardest to meet Europe’s new carbon emissions regulations set to roll in by 2012.
To reduce their fleet-average emissions levels in line with the new regulations, carmakers like BMW and Audi are focused on increasing the number of compact low-emissions vehicles they sell. This new rendering give us an accurate look as to what to expect, revealing designers will be sticking to the lines of the A1 Metroproject concept car. Some of the elements that are unlikely to make it to production include the exposed aluminum arches, 18in alloys and LED headlights.
The baby Audi will likely feature a series of low capacity TSI and TDI units ranging from 1.4 to 2.0L, and a new mild hybrid model could also be offered. The design will use a small electric motor integrated into the drivetrain, which kicks in during high-load situations.
this is one car that in the future may be able to make me stray from ford.
looking cool…..
It looks cool. Its eyes like hasky! cute!
A marquee like Audi shouldn’t be whoring itself to the masses and building cars like this.
Is it me or there are few cars left that we can dream of ever owning but that are out of our reach?
Audi need this.
It will then mean that they can continue to develop cars like the RS6 and RS4 and maybe even a new RS8…without these mainstream cars, the real cars that we want will never be developed
I disagree. The RS4 / 6 are just normal cars with monster engines on them. The R8 is an original but not so much of an effort for a company like Audi. Audi should remain a luxury brand, one you want to get in when you can afford to leave the Hondas and the Toyotas behind, not one that makes cars for people that don’t make enough money to afford the A4.
I feel the same about the BMW 1 series and the MB A & B Class.
hector; again, every company is going to have to have a huge production of small cars to support the legalities of their few large cars. if you were looking for a small car, and you had 4 grand to blow, what would you do? you want a small car, but you want a quality car. are you going to buy a fiesta? a mazda 2? what about a chevy aveo? can you picture some well to do lawyer in newyork or london; driving a chevy aveo? hell no.
all i’ve got to say is so long as it isnt a rebadged VW polo, then it will be just like every other audi. great. and that’s why I like this car. cause I want as small of a car as i can get, with AWD, a good turbo’d I4 or I5, and a quality product that will last 10 years or more, without any major issues.
long gone are the days where people with money buy big. if anything, its the exact opposite. it seems like the worlds most affluent are buying smart cars and Merc B series in the droves.
at least they arent pulling a porsche and just buying up more share in a bigger, more fuel efficient company.
Sorry Hector but you are missing the point mate…..The RS4 / 6 engines were developed with the money generated from the A3 and to a much lesser extent the A2, It wasnt just shoehorning of the the AMG engines like the 6.3 or 5.5 V8s that Mercedes use type scenario, but more of an in house development of either a new engine (for the V8 in the RS4) or a total revamp and detune of the Gallardo engine (the V10 in the RS6)
The R8 design is a very fresh take on the super car class and will give Porsche a run for their money in the naturally aspirated 911 range. But the car and the development of its components were achieved from the profits generated from the A3 and then the A4. Without this down leveling of cars the more extreme versions will not be avaialble.
Look at Porsche themselves, without the Boxster the 911 wouldnt have survived, and because of its profitability it allowed them to develop the Cayenne, which although some dont like it was a massive success, and then allowed the development of the Caymen. All 3 new models have been so successful that the 911 will be forever safe for us purists and will allow Stuttgart’s finest to release the land whale that is the Panamera.
Dearest HECTOR,
Quite simply…you’re a dunderhead! The Audi (VW) brand was made for the masses! From original concept to current vehicles, and future innovations like the A1, Audi is for the masses. Just because we here in the US percieve these cars as luxury vehicles dosen’t mean that Audi should not make somethng that more Americans can and would be willing to drive. There are in Audi’s line of cars, vehicles that are true dream cars, i.e. the R8, RS4, S4, S6/RS6, and even the S8. The cars will always be dream cars for some and reality for others. Audi is not whorring itself to the masses, they are simply providing a quality vehicle for them. Remember in most European countries and many others around the world, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, are as common a car as Ford, Chrysler, and Chevrolet are here.