Audi’s latest venture downmarket has not been a smashing success so far. The Volkswagen Polo–based A1 packs all the ingredients of a well-equipped, fun-to-drive subcompact, but its sales figures have been disappointingly low. Perhaps this will change with some of the upcoming variations: Before the end of the year, Audi will launch a five-door A1, which, according to a well-placed company source, will be called the A1 Sportback. Also this fall, there will be a powerful Quattro all-wheel-drive version of the three-door A1 with around 200 hp. As we’ve reported previously, a high-power S1 model is expected for 2013.
The A1 Sportback, captured here by our spy photographers, will likely be powered by the same engines currently offered in the three-door base model: three gasoline engines with 86, 122 and 185 hp; and a trio of diesels with 90, 105 and 143 hp.
The Audi A1 Sportback will be officially unveiled this fall after the Frankfurt auto show. Will it be offered in the U.S.? Unlikely. The next-generation A3 is almost ready to be launched and Audi USA will focus on this model family here. But in Europe, the Sportback version should enhance the appeal of the A1 model line.
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