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Audi e-tron Hatchback Rendered as Eventual A3 Successor

A few decades ago, Audi wasn't really a luxury powerhouse. Sure, it had a few nice sedans, but the brand only really took off when it started to diversify. And one of the cornerstones that still hold everything together is the A3, probably the first premium compact in the world.
Audi e-tron Hatchback Rendered as Eventual A3 Successor 2 photos
Photo: Kleber Silva
Audi e-tron Hatchback Rendered as Eventual A3 Successor
The early A3 was a testbed of creativity. It pioneered adding features like non-permanent AWD and complex gearboxes, which made the car seem overpriced initially. But it's all kind of going downhill because of emissions regulations in the European Union.

It started around 2010, when downsizing began being forced down our throats. It's why most A3s are now sold with engines producing less than 150 horsepower. We can't imagine the model sticking to internal combustion past the expiration date of the all-new model that's about to come out. But Audi won't wait until it's too late.

The e-tron nameplate was first glued onto the back of the A3 plug-in hybrid. But the brand is undoubtedly headed towards a full-electric future, and Volkswagen's MEB platform could help.

To save cost, VW Group likes to share everything between its brands, and the MEB architecture is now also available to other carmakers. The first product to be underpinned by it is the IQ.3 compact hatchback, which has already entered production but is held back by some technical issues.

Spanish brand SEAT has already hinted at plans to directly copy the ID.3 by showing the el-Born concept while Skoda chose to look at a potentially more profitable crossover. Because Audi had its own electric car architecture, it initially only announced the Q4 e-tron crossover, which was supposed to be China-only.

However, we now know they also plan to introduce a small sedan and other crossovers. Eventually, the hatchback market, Europe's biggest by volume, will have to be targeted. And that's where this rendering comes in.

Kleber Silva
mashed up elements from the ID.3 together with the beautifully angular Audi design elements to give us an A3 e-tron successor. Obviously, we'd prefer a twin-turbo VR6-powered A3 but we'll take a twin-motor, 300 horsepower EV instead.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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