Prototypes of the upcoming Audi A3 have been running around for a few months now—we posted some spy photos a while back—so why run pictures of what might be the exact same car again? Because this time, our spies were able to peek inside.
The interior appears more upscale than that of the outgoing A3, if not quite as avant-garde as the guts of the A3 concept that debuted to much fanfare at the Geneva auto show in March. Significantly, the A3 seen here features a new-school MMI infotainment system with a flip-up display screen above prominent, turbine-style air vents. In the A6, A7, and A8, there’s a touchpad next to the MMI controller on which drivers can scrawl characters with a fingertip as a means of entering information into the navigation system. In the A3 concept—and in the prototype seen here, we’re guessing—that touchpad resides on top of the MMI knob itself.
As for the exterior, the pictures we ran back in August actually show more than these, since this three-door is wearing a coat of aneurysm-inducing squiggles instead of the more-revealing matte black of that last prototype. Both put most of the headlights on display, but obscure other key stylistic elements such as Audi’s signature grille frame and the LED taillights.
Just as with the current car, we are more or less guaranteed to not get the A3 as a three-door in the U.S., although we will be able to buy it in sedan and five-door hatchback forms. The latter will almost certainly be a virtual clone of the three-door, but with an extra cutline on either side. You can find a rundown of what we expect to see under the hood, including diesel and S-grade motors, by reading our previous story here.
Of the various body styles, the three-door is expected to appear first, with a European debut in 2012. Sedan and five-door models will follow in 2013. We’ll see the first next-gen A3s on our shores then, likely starting in the low-$30k range.
