Audi A3 sedan to be launched in India tomorrow

The long-awaited Audi A3 sedan will be launched in the Indian market tomorrow. The A3 sedan is the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the BMW 1 Series, and will be the most affordable car in the company’s line-up.

The A3 sedan is an extended version of the A3 Sportback (hatchback) with an additional 425-litre boot. The front of the car features the familiar fascia with a prominent Audi beard grille and projector headlamps with DRLs.  Based on Volkswagen Group’s popular MQB platform, the Audi A3 sedan will be offered with two engine options, a petrol and a diesel, both mated to a six-speed DSG gearbox.

The A3 sedan will be the first car to implement the company’s new nomenclature, which classifies the cars based on the performance numbers. The A3 sedan will be imported to India as completely knocked down units and locally assembled at the company’s facility in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. This should help the company evade the government’s exorbitant import taxes which are slapped on completely built units.

While the A3 sedan will mainly compete with the A-Class and the 1 Series, we expect it to be priced very competitively in the Rs 26 lakh to Rs 28 lakh bracket, which means that the baby sedan might also give the base variants of bigger luxury sedans a run for their money.