New Audi A3 e-tron proves the brand isn’t turning its back on smaller cars

Audi is readying its A3-sized EV for launch next year, borrowing an updated version of the MEB platform that underpins the current Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born. Audi already uses this relatively compact platform for its Q4 e-tron, but this new model is due to be a step lower in terms of size, giving buyers an electric car alternative to the existing ICE-powered A3. 

Speaking with Auto Express, Audi CEO Gernot Döllnerr said: “We will build an electric [C-segment] car here in Ingolstadt from next year.” Given that time frame, it will be based on technologies already available within the VW group, rather than the new SSP architecture coming in 2027. 

As a result, we’re expecting the new Audi model will likely share any technical upgrades with the reskinned ID.3 that’s due around the same time, and feature a combination of a rear-mounted e-motor and battery pack mounted underneath the floor. We don’t know if there are any wholesale changes to the current battery technology on the cards, but we expect the new Audi will probably be available with some or all of the 58kWh, 77kWh and 79kWh battery options available in the current ID.3. 

We can also be fairly certain about what the new electric A3 equivalent will look like, because it’ll have to share certain elements with other MEB-platform cars currently on sale. We expect a standard single motor to be available on the rear axle, plus possibly a dual-motor application for a potential high-performance derivative. 

But there will be specific considerations, too, including a relatively high floor and high roof, plus the likelihood of a short bonnet and an upright tail. How Audi drapes its current design language over this architecture remains unclear, but it will largely depend on how much freedom the brand has been given to redesign specific hard points including the windscreen base or floor. 

What we do know, however, is that the car is too far through its development to adopt the new design language being evolved by new design chief Massimo Frascella, who was installed only 12 months ago. There might have been time for some small changes, however, as has been rumoured about the forthcoming Audi Q7. 

How it fits into Audi’s wider plans

Detailed by Auto Express last year, Audi’s plan has been to extend its range only slightly downwards, forgoing successors to the A1 supermini and Q2 small crossover, but creating an indirect successor to the recently updated A3 family hatchback. That, in turn, could give the brand a cheaper entry point than the likes of Mercedes and BMW.

Audi CEO Döllner, who has also taken on the role of technical development chief, admits that his team has gone through a review of its future product plans in recent years, sharpening its focus on key markets such as China (where it will soon launch a bespoke, locally made version of its new Q6 e-tron) and the United States. Döllner said that some vehicles had been pushed aside by the review, but insisted that the planned entry point – likely to appear in late 2026 or 2027 – has escaped the axe.

When asked directly if Audi had cut vehicles from its plans or simply delayed them, Döllner said, “We did both, really. We stretched the timeframe to give us a little bit more time for these 20 models. I’ve never seen something like this in my career so far. And we discussed some models that we deprioritised, and put emphasis on other ideas.”

Describing the new entry model directly, Döllner said, “It’s A-segment, so typically Volkswagen Golf and A3 size, or a little bit below, perhaps. But this is where we will focus. We won’t have a successor for the A1 and Q2 – certainly not a direct successor. But in confirming the model below the Q4, in the C-segment, that will be our entry car.”

Audi A3 e-tron exclusive images

Our exclusive images showing how the new Audi A3 could look use the company’s 2019 AI:ME concept as their base. That car was a little shorter than the A3 overall, but our illustrations show how easily its dimensions could be stretched to deliver a unique, bespoke EV shape, while not stealing too much of the Q4 e-tron’s SUV image, being between five and 10 centimetres shorter than that vehicle.

Short front and rear overhangs would allow Audi to slot the new model in at the base of its range – although it’s conceivable that the brand may opt for an even more conventional shape, including a three-box saloon that would also be distinct from the Q4 and potentially popular in large markets like the United States and China.

This new all-electric entry point is likely to mean no combustion-engined successor to the existing A3. The current model was introduced in 2020 and has just received a major facelift, so a typical seven-year lifespan would tip it over into the era when Audi will only launch new electric cars.

Bespoke US-only models

Audi is likely, meanwhile, to develop some bespoke models for the United States, including larger SUVs. Döllner said, “That’s one thinkable option. We have a lot of ideas and what we’ll definitely do – and we have it already in our product strategy right now – is take a deeper look at North America. We’ll have bigger SUVs in consideration and they will be mainly influenced by American market requirements. 

That’s one reason why we’re so optimistic about our prospects in the US; we know there’s more potential there.” However, he stopped short of saying that Audi could tap into the VW Group’s Scout project, an off-road-focused brand of SUVs and pick-up trucks that will be developed and produced in the United States. “The VW Group has made a decision to revitalise the Scout brand and I was honoured to be part of that decision a couple of years ago,” Döllner said. “I was chairman of Scout motors, in fact. This is the decision that has been taken so far – to bring the brand back and have trucks and rugged SUVs, but as Scout.”

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