Audi A3 sedan to be showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo

Snapshot: German luxury car maker Audi, owned by the Volkswagen group, is all set to make a big splash at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo with the A3 sedan. The A3 sedan will be the least priced Audi to be sold in India, priced and positioned under the Q3 crossover. 

Close on the heels of leading the luxury car market in India and becoming the first luxury car marquee to sell over 10,000 units in a single year, Audi plans to further boost volumes with the launch of the A3 sedan here. The 2014 Audi A3 sedan will be the car maker’s entry level model and the first product based on the Volkswagen MQB platform to be launched in India.

Given the fact that Skoda, a Volkswagen group automaker, has already begun building the 2013 Octavia in India through the completely knocked down (CKD) kit route, Audi India is likely to follow suit by assembling the A3 sedan at Aurangabad. At the time of its launch, the Audi A3 will square off against the likes of the BMW 1-Series, the Mercedes Benz A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks.

Eventually, direct competition to the Audi A3 sedan will come from the Mercedes Benz CLA sedan, which is likely to be launched by the end of next year. The Audi A3 sedan launched here will be available with turbo petrol and turbo diesel engine options, borrowed from the 2013 Octavia. The 1.8 liter TSI turbo petrol engine outputting 175 Bhp-250 Nm and the 2 liter TDI turbo diesel engine outputting 150 Bhp-320 Nm will power the Audi A3 sedan.

6 speed and 7 speed DSG dual clutch automatic gearboxes will drive the front wheels of the diesel and petrol engined A3 sedan respectively. Expect the Audi A3 sedan to be priced well under 25 lakh rupees. The car will be least priced Audi sedan to be sold in India, sitting underneath the A4. After unveiling the A3 sedan at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, expect Audi India to launch the car in the second half of the year.