New Audi A3 interior

By Luke Madden

January 2012

Audi has showcased the all-new A3's interior, including the next-generation Connect multimedia interface, way ahead of the car's official unveil. And in doing so, it has sown a teaser shot of the car's exterior, too.

The static display was on show at the CES technology expo in Las Vegas, and allowed users a close-up look at how Audi has simplified the way drivers engage with the sat-nav, audio and climate controls. Recent Audis – like the A6 and A7 – use a trackpad and a separate control knob, but in the new A3 the trackpad is incorporated into the top of the control knob. Meanwhile, the buttons for navigation, telephone, media and radio have all been replaced with just two toggle switches.

Videos: Watch our video of the new A3 at Geneva

The system is also more powerful than before, thanks to a hi-tech graphics processor that allows Google Street View integration and complex 3D images to be viewed on the screen. 

The interior itself is obviously inspired by Audi's latest models, such as the A1 and Q3. The eyeball style air-vents are carried over into the new A3 and build quality should be as good as ever. 

In one of the interior shots, Audi flashed up an image of the new three-door A3 from the outside, revealing A6-inspired sculpted headlights and chiselled body work. To check how close our illustrations were to the real thing, and for all the details on the new hatch, you can read the full story here.