Audi confirmed 2012 on-sale dates this morning for its third-generation A3 and the distinctly less practical R8 e-tron.
While the R8 has looks to kill, the A3 will be the real star for Audi. The current A3 proved a global success for Audi, and the new car will arrive just in time to cash in on the booming demand for premium compact cars. It’ll also be one of the first vehicles to be built on the Volkswagen Group’s new MQB architecture, which is flexible enough that it will be used as the basis for everything from the new Volkswagen Up! to the next Volkswagen Golf to perhaps even the next Volkswagen Passat.
In the U.S., the A3 should be available in four-door sedan (previewed here in concept form) and five-door hatchback forms. When the A5 cabrio replaced the A4 cabrio, the cost to purchase an Audi droptop went skyward—currently a rather lofty $43,475 to start—so it wouldn’t surprise us if the next A3 convertible eventually came to the States, too. Other countries also will get a three-door hatchback (as seen in these spy photos).
Our engine lineup probably will carry over from the current offerings, meaning American shoppers will be able to choose from two turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder mills—one drinking gasoline, the other diesel. A hot-rodded version of the gasoline engine will be borrowed from the TT-S to power an Audi S3. And since a fully electric A3 has already been confirmed, that car may also proverbially hit dealers in this country (although we’d be surprised if any ever physically sit on a showroom floor).
R8 E-tron is a Go!
Audi previously confirmed the R8 e-tron for production in small numbers, but with no mention of the car for many months, it’s good to hear renewed commitment. Final details haven’t yet been announced, but the company has said it will weigh just 3527 pounds—that’s even lighter than the company’s estimated weight of 3605 pounds for the R8 with the 4.2-liter V-8 coupe and manual transmission. When we drove a prototype version of the R8 e-tron a couple of years ago, its four motors (one per wheel) were rated for a total of 313 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. It’s unknown if those figures will stay the same in production, but a select and tiny number of customers will get to find out at the end of 2012.
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