India-bound Audi A3 gets a top score in US crash test

Audi’s entry-level sedan, the A3, has been awarded the score of “good” in crash tests by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This makes the car one of the safest automobiles on sale in the US markets.

The ratings are based on a frontal collision with 40 percent overlap (moderate overlap), a frontal collision with 25 percent overlap (small overlap), a side impact, roof strength and a rear impact.

Commenting on the feat achieved by the A3 sedan Joachim Scheef, Head of Vehicle Safety Development, Audi said “The Top Safety Pick+ award for the A3 Sedan impressively illustrates the importance Audi attaches to the issue of safety.”

The Audi A3 sedan is the second car to be based on Volkswagen group’s MQB platform. The A3 sedan was showcased at the Auto Expo 2014 and is expected to be launched later this year. The A3 sedan gets a choice of five engines internationally, three petrol engines and two diesel. The petrol options are a TSI, 1.8-litre TSI and 2.0-litre TFSI which churn out 105bhp, 175bhp and 211bhp respectively. In the diesel front it gets a 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre TDI. Once launched in India, it will compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and is expected to be priced around the Rs 25 lakh mark.

With lack of crash testing facility here in India, we look up to international test results for cars sold here. The car for the Indian market will be assembled in India and might miss out on few safety features, but it will still be a relatively safe car with the same underpinning.