AUDI A3 Series/Models Timeline, Specifications and Pictures

2016 - 2017

More expensive than the Ford Focus or the VW Golf, the Audi A3 offered a roomy cabin with nice luxury touches. Sharing its platform with the VW Golf and the Seat Leon, the A3 was a better choice. While the exterior design was very similar to the previous generation’s, the cabin was fitted with high-quality materials and advanced technology. Visual updates included a redesigned front end wi...

2012 - 2016

The third generation of the Audi A3 was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It was lighter, better equipped, and offered a better fuel-efficiency than before. After the Dieselgate, the German brand had to develop and launch cleaner cars to prove that they are eco-friendly. The Audi A3 was a good starting point since it was one of its top sellers on the market. A lighter car with better fu...

2008 - 2012

The second generation of the Audi A3 was launched in 2003 and it received a facelift in 2008. The upcoming regulations forced the German premium car-manufacturer to do some changes. Audi took a serious gamble when it launched its first generation of the A3 back in 1996. The little hatchback was built on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf and some critics said that it was just a more exp...

2005 - 2008

Audi launched the second generation of the A3 in 2003, and just a year later, in June 2004, it introduced the five-door version that came with a mild change at the front. The five-door version was introduced at the mid-life of the A3's first-generation after Audi understood that its customers would buy it, and they did. The car was a big success. But the second generation started with sl...

2003 - 2005

There were not too many compact-segment premium hatchbacks in 2003 when Audi introduced the second generation of its Golf-based vehicle. When Audi launched the first generation of the A3, many people laughed and asked why someone would pay more money for a stylish Golf. But the German carmaker proved that it was the right car at the right moment. Even though it shared its underpinnings with i...

1996 - 2003

The first generation of the A3 was the first compact-hatchback Audi in the premium segment. The result exceeded expectations and, over time, evolved from a simple, 3-door hatchback, into a full range. In 1993, BMW launched the E36/5 3-Series Compact as a 3-door hatchback. It was a link to an older BMW 1600 hatchback from the beginning of the '70s. The result was surprising. With a rela...