Photo: CarPix
Having kicked off the production of the new generation A3 family last year, Audi is now concentrating its efforts on expanding it. Thus, besides the A3 Sportback (hatchback) and Sedan, the German automaker will also launch a jacked-up model.
Believed to be named either the Citycarver, like the A1, the Allroad, like the high-riding A4 and A6, or the Cityhopper, as our spy photographers believe, it was spied in a premiere, looking pretty much like an A3 Sportback on stilts.
Besides sporting more inches between its belly and the road, it was also partially under wraps, suggesting that it will have a tweaked design. Our guess would be different front and rear bumpers, and perhaps black plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body, which, combined with the extra ground clearance, would make it look more utilitarian.
The implementation of an all-wheel drive system is possible, considering that the new A3 lineup is built around the VW Group’s MQB Evo platform. However, it might actually launch with front-wheel drive, considering that those opting for a premium subcompact vehicle don’t tend to take theirs off the beaten path. Nonetheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t get one at all, as everything is possible at this point.
Look closely at the left front fender and you will see a charging port. This means that the prototype in question has plug-in hybrid power, which might come from the equivalent Q3 crossover. The high-rider combines a 1.4-liter gasoline unit with an electric motor and a 13 kWh battery, has a total system output of 242 hp, and can drive in complete silence for 31 miles (51 km) in the WLTP cycle.
Set to further bridge the gap between the A3 and Q3, the jacked-up model is rumored to premiere sometime next year. Only time will tell whether it will be offered as a standalone vehicle or as an option pack for the normal A3, though the balance probably tilts in favor of the former.
Besides sporting more inches between its belly and the road, it was also partially under wraps, suggesting that it will have a tweaked design. Our guess would be different front and rear bumpers, and perhaps black plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body, which, combined with the extra ground clearance, would make it look more utilitarian.
The implementation of an all-wheel drive system is possible, considering that the new A3 lineup is built around the VW Group’s MQB Evo platform. However, it might actually launch with front-wheel drive, considering that those opting for a premium subcompact vehicle don’t tend to take theirs off the beaten path. Nonetheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t get one at all, as everything is possible at this point.
Look closely at the left front fender and you will see a charging port. This means that the prototype in question has plug-in hybrid power, which might come from the equivalent Q3 crossover. The high-rider combines a 1.4-liter gasoline unit with an electric motor and a 13 kWh battery, has a total system output of 242 hp, and can drive in complete silence for 31 miles (51 km) in the WLTP cycle.
Set to further bridge the gap between the A3 and Q3, the jacked-up model is rumored to premiere sometime next year. Only time will tell whether it will be offered as a standalone vehicle or as an option pack for the normal A3, though the balance probably tilts in favor of the former.
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