Photo: newspressusa.com
Call it globalization or call it lack of imagination on Audi's part, but this German automaker has brought over the exact same cars to the Tokyo Motor Show and the LA Auto Show.
We're talking about the A3 e-tron and the S3 saloon. The A3 was already available for sale in Japan, but in America this compact premium is not available until next summer.
The A3 e-tron is the first hybrid compact for Audi. It's powered by a 1.4-liter turbo with 150 PS and a powerful electric motor that can power the car on its own. Total output is a very respectable 205 hp, but despite having the power of a 2-liter TFSI, the e-tron only consumes 1.5 l/100km on the European cycle, equivalent to 157 mpg US. We don't yet know if it will be available in the US, since the hatchback it's based on hasn't been launched.
The new S3 has a much higher chance of being available. It's powered by a brand new 2.0 TFSI engine, good for about 300 hp (300 PS, so official rating should be 296 hp). The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 4.9 seconds with the S tronic. It is a great car if you can afford to pay $40,000 or so.
The A3 e-tron is the first hybrid compact for Audi. It's powered by a 1.4-liter turbo with 150 PS and a powerful electric motor that can power the car on its own. Total output is a very respectable 205 hp, but despite having the power of a 2-liter TFSI, the e-tron only consumes 1.5 l/100km on the European cycle, equivalent to 157 mpg US. We don't yet know if it will be available in the US, since the hatchback it's based on hasn't been launched.
The new S3 has a much higher chance of being available. It's powered by a brand new 2.0 TFSI engine, good for about 300 hp (300 PS, so official rating should be 296 hp). The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 4.9 seconds with the S tronic. It is a great car if you can afford to pay $40,000 or so.
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