Shanghai 2013: Audi A3 Sedan makes public debut

audi-a3-7

The Audi A3 Sedan, which was announced in New York, has made its public debut in Shanghai, so we finally get to see it in the metal. The booted form of the third-gen A3, shaped as a four-door coupe rather than a classic three-box form, was on display at Auto China 2013 in 40 TFSI quattro model guise.

Audi’s numerical designations for its cars in China is quirky, with 35, 40 and 45 suffixes on them, for example. The A4 and Q5 40 versions for the market wear a 2.0 litre mill, so the 40 for the red show car means that it should be one too and the low-powered quattro form of the equation, the more powerful one being the S3 variant.

In Europe, three engines are available at point of introduction for the A3 Sedan, these being two petrol units, a 140 hp/250 Nm 1.4 TFSI with cylinder on demand and a 180 hp/250 Nm 1.8 litre TFSI, and a 150 hp/320 Nm 2.0 TDI oil burner.

Lots to like about the compact premium offering, which is 150 mm longer, 11 mm wider and nine millimetres lower than its Sportback sibling. It’s certainly a very clean-looking shape.

GALLERY: Audi A3 Sedan

GALLERY: Audi S3 Sedan

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Learn more:

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • niuhje on Apr 22, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    now ade rumah mampu milik… hve we got an Audi mampu milik?? cun la Audi!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr on Apr 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Nice….like its design in n out. If this is priced lower and have decent features (navigation, comfort access, etc) than the current A4 1.8 TFSI here then u have an extra eager customer!

    So…when can we own one?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
  • Hope the pricing is right then this will be my first Audi…..fingers crossed

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
  • pelams on Apr 22, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    A4 = +-240k
    A3 = +-150k please..!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 5
  • Ekspresi Ruang on Apr 22, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    bring it down here after the GE13, please!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 3
  • Arun 12B on Apr 22, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    Audi A3 price sure wont be lower than 200k

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 10
    • Audi S3 Sedan sure can defeat Evo X. Still waiting for Jetta R, but S3 Sedan is nice.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • the interior especially the dashboard is really simple and ‘cheap’ for an audi….

    a bit not used to it

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
  • voDevil on Apr 22, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    considering that the A1 starts at RM180k and the A4 at RM235k… i doubt the A3 can be lower than RM200k like most of us here hoped for…

    if it’s around RM200k and when u calculate ur monthly installment, don’t think the monthly installment would vary much then the A4 1.8T… i think i might just go for the A4 instead…
    but there’s no doubt… the A3 Sedan does loo sexaaay…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 2
    • droll on Apr 23, 2013 at 1:53 am

      there is only one hope – that a hybrid powertrain is offered for the a3. then we might see it drop below 200k ringgit…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Arun 12B on Apr 23, 2013 at 12:00 am

    ya true. but wont be so lower than 200k. For tis price better go for Peugeot 508 GT. thier specs equal to BMW 5 series. 204 Horsepower & Torque 450. Fuel effcient better than Audi A4. 5.7 litre per 100km. wat else u want ?

    http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/peugeot/508/first-drives/peugeot-508-hdi-gt

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • God..hope the unveiling of this model didn’t go through steps of teasing cos their siblings are almost identical..design undeniably succinct but it’s all too bored and predictable. Where’s the Japanese last time thing where those siblings were getting their own unique design treatment at least if not all.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • nighttrain on Apr 23, 2013 at 8:10 am

    Polo sedan is 100K, A3 should be 130K. Same segment, right?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 6
  • I think this sexay A3 will be priced at around RM210k-220k. Well, whatever we are speculating. The true price will oni be revealed after GE13 i think. If everything stays the same, then dunnit to hope for lower price. Just work harder. BTW, we all are already used to high price for car. So even PR won the price wont drop drastic. The most might be at 5-8% max.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • sepul on Apr 23, 2013 at 9:13 am

    Preferred the 3 door and 5 door Sportback version more.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Abg Long on Apr 23, 2013 at 9:59 am

    hope car prices will be reduce after ge13. this year i mean :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 4
  • Should be priced around 180k +/- , probably the same segment as the VW passat. I think.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • VW Fanboi on Apr 23, 2013 at 7:15 pm

      Slightly below VW passat, its engine is equal or smaller.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Skypirate on Apr 23, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      The A3 competes with VW Golf, they are based on the same platform, same engine and same transmission. They are essentially twins but in different clothing.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr on Apr 23, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    Here’s me speculating the price will be around the RM200k mark without the optional features like keyless go n all.

    True there are other models like the Pug 508 but this is an Audi!

    Either way I don’t think we will be seeing this baby here anytime soon…maybe early 2014.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Skypirate on Apr 23, 2013 at 10:45 pm

    Walking into an Audi showroom is just like walking into Starbucks. All their cars look the same except the size, just like tall, grande and venti.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Sick&tired on Apr 24, 2013 at 12:36 am

    volkswagen equivalent is the jetta which goes for around rm150k. So logically the a3 sedan should be around rm200k.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • marcaus on Aug 27, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    when avalible in malaysia ? im interted audi a3 seden or s3 seden ,and how much the price ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • What is the official name of the blue on that S3 sedan shown at the Shanghai motor show?

    The only blue that you can pick is Estoril Blue, but that is very dark and not like what you see in pictures above.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Bryan on May 11, 2014 at 9:19 am

    I’m thinking of getting an A200, so as part of trying out the competitors, I dropped by Audi to have a look at the A1. What I noticed immediately was the A1’s interior, which looks and feels more premium to the a200. But the rear seats were extremely tight and that just sort of killed the option of an A1. They didn’t have a test drive unit and since I’ve never driven an Audi before, I decided to try the A4 1.8 instead. It was a pleasant drive, handling was good, and the road noise was minimal.

    Now I know I shouldn’t be generalizing the Audi, but if I were to assume that the A3 sedan would be very similar to the rest of the audis, in terms of the cabin and handling, would the A3 be a better buy than the a200? I like the a200 for its exterior but find it as if one class below on the interior when compared to the audi. Btw, The SA said that the price of the A3 is est to be around 175k to 180k. Any thoughts?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Ricardo on Jun 06, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    Word is out the 1.4 TFSI A3 is going for RM179k. Specs wise not comfirm until end of June. No matter how you look at it , a great buy compare to 2.4 or 2.5 Japanese make. Road tax alone is 10% of 2.5.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required