An entry-level EV, similar in size to the Audi A3, will be launched in the middle of the decade as the German car maker ramps up its electrification shift.
The A-segment model, confirmed to Autocar by Audi CTO Oliver Hoffman, is part of a plan to get an electric car in each “core” segment by 2027
It is expected to use the Volkswagen Group’s new skateboard-style SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) electric architecture – the same structure that is set to make its debut on the upcoming Volkswagen ID 4 saloon currently being developed under the internal working title Project Trinity – offering a maximum range of more than 400 miles.
“We communicate today that we will offer an A-segment car, under the Q4. [It will be] comparable to the A3,” Hoffman said before the firm’s annual conference.
He did not confirm if the car would take the A3 nameplate, but it will naturally replace the car, given that Audi will launch only EVs from 2026.
The switch to electric power means standard versions of the A3 replacement will abandon front-wheel drive for the first time since the model’s introduction in 1996. The car, as with the current model it will replace, is expected to spawn more potent variants, such as the S3 and RS3. These are tipped to adopt a twin-motor, four-wheel-drive set-up.
Read more: Audi to launch 20 models by 2025, half of them EVs
As Audi goes EV-only, an electric RS3 will be the entry point into the newly electrified performance line-up. Audi Sport’s transition to an electrified portfolio has kicked off with range-topping variants of the Audi E-tron SUV and Audi E-tron GT saloon, and it is expected to ultimately match the diversity and scope of its current performance range, which comprises highly strung versions of most Audi models.
Instant-torque electric power will enable the ‘RS3 E-tron’ to outpace the current five-cylinder petrol car in a straight line – so expect a sub-3.8sec 0-62mph time, and the innovative torque-vectoring functionality fitted to Audi’s existing fast EVs will no doubt trickle down to upcoming entrants to mimic the combustion car’s dynamic agility. It could also be the first of a new breed, with rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen yet to unwrap electrification plans for their own hottest hatchbacks.