New Audi A1 hatchback under development

An all-new version of the Audi A1 is scheduled to be revealed sometime later this year. Our spies recently caught the car undergoing cold-weather tests in Scandinavia.

The new A1 will be available in five-door “Sportback” guise only. The three-door model will be ditched and an all-electric or even only plugin-hybrid variants will not be offered either. Only a mild-hybrid will be available which leads electric power to various aggregates but cannot be used for emission-free driving.

Under the hood, the existing 1.4-litre motor will be replaced with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder base engine and today’s 150bhp version will be replaced by an equally powerful 1.5-litre unit. The 192bhp 1.8-litre TSFI will make way for a new 2-litre engine with then 200bhp which will be tuned to 250bhp in the new S1.

In terms of design and dimensions, the new A1 will be more elegant, more striking in a way, with a wider and lower stance and a more muscular front end and slightly longer wheelbase. It will be based on the lighter and stiffer MQ platform and will be given an adaptive chassis and improved LED lights all around. Different from today, all-wheel drive will be available for models below the S1 (to which it is exclusive with the current model).