Audi unveils stunning A3 concept 22 | 02 | 2011

AUDI IS THE latest manufacturer to give a glimpse of the concept it will unveil at next week's Geneva Motor Show. This sketch illustrates Audi's A3-based four-door saloon concept powered by a 408bhp, turbocharged, 2.5-litre five-cylinder

But this is no 'computer-only' concept; the guys at Audi's Ingolstadt HQ have confirmed it will form part of a third-generation A3 line-up due next year. The new range will also include similarly styled successors to the current three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and two-door cabriolet.

The new A3 variant is described as a spiritual successor to the original Audi 80 and has been conceived along similar lines to parent company Volkswagen’s latest Jetta.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the concept gets Audi's prominent six-corner, single-frame grille, along with angular headlamps carrying complex LED internal graphics.

And in addition to a sloping boot deck and horizontal tail lamps, which are both similar in style to those gracing the A7, the concept has a high waistline and relatively shallow glasshouse.

The A3 concept is a tight, neat little package — at 4440mm long, it's 260mm shorter than the Audi A4 saloon and 188mm shorter than the Jetta — and the new production four-door is expected to retain the same length.

And just for good measure, tucked inside the concept's engine bay is the same turbocharged 2.5-litre in-line five-cylinder used in the Quattro concept which Audi showed in Paris last year.

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Jim McGill