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These are the first rendered images of the new Audi A3, including the new saloon model that has been conceived to help sales in North America.

The new Audi A3 will go on sale in early 2011 and the saloon model will sit alongside the hatchback, sportback and cabriolet body styles.

“We’ve taken a good look at what it will take to better establish the A3 in the US market in the future,” said an Audi insider. “The four-door layout is something North American car buyers continue to seek...Read the full article

Nice looking - IMHO. And it actually looks like one would imagine a new A3 to look like.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to mention this, but I recall an A4 ad from the early 90s where Audi were positioning it as a less brash, classier alternative to the three series for people who weren't a***holes. That strategy obviously didn't sell the volume. Audis are getting so aggressive looking that it wont be long before only those naturally at home in a BMW will feel comfortable being seen in one.

It's hard not to see a Lamborghini (Reventon) in some details, especially at the front. For me it's excessive, especially the grille which looks like Superman's badge...

Judging from these pictures, the new Volkswagen A3 (Audi A3 in marketingterms) indeed looks very agressive. Far too agressive to my taste.

But then again, Volkswagen does not target me as a customer, but those who are "brand-conscious" and led by marketeers instead of self-conscious and led by ratio.

Succes is guaranteed.

another super-scowling car. Out grimacing the last.

Personally, Monday morning, a tough week on the road ahead, you walk out your front door 8am - the first thing you see is a little car looking at you saying F()CK YOU!!

Many, many relish this thought but its not for me.

Go on Audi, put chariot style tyre shredders on the alloys and a battering ram on the grill, you know you want to.

As quite a fan of the existing A3 (especially Sportback), my first thought was "Is this an improvement?" The harder edges, the rising waistline... Also they seem to be sitting very low - how will the 'cooking' versions appear? My second thought was "Why show it now, 2 years before it's available?" We should be seeing the production-ready A1 instead...  

If the wheelbase is as long as the picture suggests it might be bigger inside than the A4. Wonder if the Golf platform will be better than the new A4 chassis?

Will SEAT get the old A3 factory equipment to make the next Leon with?

It's important to remember that these are AUTOCAR created CGI images of what the A3 MAY look like.

The A3 is the automotive equivalent of Magnolia paint in a new house - so dull as it tries to offend no one.   There's an 03 plate S3 in my office car park and it's dificult to see the differences between it and the current model from any angle but the front where the lack of a Kola nose gives it's age away.

The A3 is in desperate need of a ground up refresh.   It's just sad that it's being designed to appease the American market.   When I sat in a Q7 all I could think was it was an American car, not European at all.   It didn't feel that it has as good an interior as my friend's RS4.

 

I see Autocar have come over all "Autoexpress" with a rendered picture with an entire page of no news filler just to say there will be a saloon version.

Abarthuk.com:

I see Autocar have come over all "Autoexpress" with a rendered picture

There seems to be an increasing number of these type of articles in Autocar, sadly. I suppose that they have to chase circulation numbers like any other publication but I think they should stick to being peerlessly authoritative and uphold their reputation as the world's longest established motoring magazine, I would hate to see them turn into another AutoExpress SUN-style magazine. Come on Autocar, you can do better than this. The pictures show something that may or may not be the next A3 and your article says very little of relevance to today's range as you say it's still two years away. A lot can happen in two years (or a lot less!) so we might never even see this car make production.