Photo: Audi
Even though the current A3 is only two years old, Audi is already planning its successor, which will ditch all powertrains powered by dead dinosaurs in a premiere.
Expected to launch in the United Kingdom in 2027, Autocar reports, the fifth generation A3 is understood to feature all-electric power. It will allegedly be built around the SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), an 800-volt architecture said to enable charging speeds of up to 270kW, with 10 minutes of charging giving it an 80-mile (almost 130-km) range.
The SSP apparently supports solid-state batteries, but the next-gen A3 will not get them. Base versions of the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, which are the body styles supposedly approved for production, will be rear-wheel drive, with a single electric motor driving them. Upper specs will feature a second motor at the front, which will unlock an all-wheel drive system.
Naturally, the range-topping RS 3 models will feature AWD, too, and should be quicker to 62 mph (100 kph) than their predecessors. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, rated at 394 bhp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, lets it complete the sprint in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph) when ordered with the optional Dynamic Pack.
Thanks to clever packaging, the upcoming A3 and RS 3 will be more spacious inside. They will also get sportier looks on the outside, with shorter front and rear overhangs, the quoted outlet claims. The switch to battery-electric power will make the next-gen RS 3 (e-tron?) the brand’s most affordable zero-emission performance vehicle and will inevitably force its rivals from BMW and Mercedes-AMG to follow a similar route.
But do you think that it is a good move, and more importantly, would you spend your hard-earned money on it, or would you prefer the current one, with its previous-gen supercar-like performance and that wonderful five-banger under the hood?
The SSP apparently supports solid-state batteries, but the next-gen A3 will not get them. Base versions of the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, which are the body styles supposedly approved for production, will be rear-wheel drive, with a single electric motor driving them. Upper specs will feature a second motor at the front, which will unlock an all-wheel drive system.
Naturally, the range-topping RS 3 models will feature AWD, too, and should be quicker to 62 mph (100 kph) than their predecessors. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, rated at 394 bhp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, lets it complete the sprint in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph) when ordered with the optional Dynamic Pack.
Thanks to clever packaging, the upcoming A3 and RS 3 will be more spacious inside. They will also get sportier looks on the outside, with shorter front and rear overhangs, the quoted outlet claims. The switch to battery-electric power will make the next-gen RS 3 (e-tron?) the brand’s most affordable zero-emission performance vehicle and will inevitably force its rivals from BMW and Mercedes-AMG to follow a similar route.
But do you think that it is a good move, and more importantly, would you spend your hard-earned money on it, or would you prefer the current one, with its previous-gen supercar-like performance and that wonderful five-banger under the hood?
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