2018 Audi A1 makes first public appearance at Paris motor show

A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, with a seven-speed S tronic automatic ’box optional. The most potent 197bhp model, the 40 TFSI, gets a six-speed S tronic transmission as standard.

Later, the A1 will be offered with a natural gas engine in mainland Europe, but not in the UK. A 250bhp all-wheel-drive S1 is due to arrive in 2019.

The new A1 can be specified with optional adaptive damping and top models are offered with firmer sports suspension.

As standard, the car gets a 10.25in all-digital instrument cluster and a multi-function steering wheel. With the exception of the entry-level model, A1s come with a centre console touchscreen of 8.8in or, in top models, 10.1in. These MMI systems feature touch-operated handwriting recognition technology taken from the range-topping A8. There’s also more advanced voice control technology.

The sat-nav system will feature an internet-connected location search, including Google's search engine or Google Maps. With the MMI Plus package, there will also be live traffic updates.

Along with a DAB radio, there’s online smartphone functionality, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as LTE tech to boost a phone’s signal via the car’s antenna. Entertainment is topped off with a choice of two high-quality audio systems, the bigger of which is a 560W Bang & Olufsen 11-speaker set-up that, Audi claims, is unrivalled in this segment.

Additionally, the A1 comes with a raft of driver assist features, including pre-sense radar-based technology that can recognise cars, cyclists and pedestrians, even in fog, to offer automatic accident mitigation. The same radar technology enables adaptive speed cruise control that works at up to 124mph and can bring the car to a stop. The car is also available with a reversing camera, parking sensors and an automatic parking system.