Current generation Audi A3 live on till 2027, its replacement tipped to become an EV. Image: Audi
Audi’s replacement for the current fourth generation A3 will reportedly still be debuting in 2027, although in an apparent contravention of its incoming realigned nameplate denominators.
Back in 2022, then CEO, Markus Duesmann, said Audi remained committed to the “C” hatchback and sedan segments in spite of shrinking sales as result of the move towards SUVs and crossovers.
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Announcing 2027 as the year of debut for the fifth generation A3 Sportback and Sedan, Duesmann indicated the Four Rings wants to remains a volume selling brand within the Volkswagen Group despite the presence of sister marques, Volkswagen, Seat, Cupra and Skoda.
“[There] are many brands in the corporate group, and we decided that in the volume segment, as there are four brands that represent the volume segment in an excellent way, Audi will strengthen the upper range,” Duesmann told Australia’s drive.com.au at the time.
Months before, he indicated that Audi’s intention of being viewed as a premium marque would see it discontinue the A1 and Q2 by 2025, as it also moves towards complete electrification in Europe by 2030.
“We have decided not to build the A1 anymore, and there will be no successor model from the Q2 either. We have also realigned Audi as a premium brand. We will limit our model range at the bottom and expand it at the top,” a translated extract of Duesmann’s words to business publication, Handelsblatt, read.
According to a newly uncovered report by Germany Auto Motor und Sport, the structural realignment will see the A3 debut in 2027, but solely as an electric vehicle in both sedan and Sportback guises.
A move that will go against Audi’s nomenclature restructuring, in which all even numbered models will become electric and all unevenly nameplates combustion powered, albeit with electrical assistance, the publication claims a name change will be applied, although for moment, it remains unconfirmed whether this will involve the revival of the A2.
The smallest model in Audi’s range from 1999 to 2005, the introduction of the A1 five years later never saw it being billed as the A2’s direct successor as a result of its dimensions and relation to the Volkswagen Polo versus the former’s mini-MPV appearance.
Although shown as an electric concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show less than 12 months after the A1’s arrival, a second generation A2 never received production approval.
In the case of the “new” A3, the use of the A2 e-tron moniker is unlikely to be used, though underneath, the newcomer, according to Auto Motor und Sport, will ride on the MEB platform that underpins the current ID range of EVs, plus the ninth generation Volkswagen Golf due in 2026.
Initially earmarked to use the newer Porsche-developed Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), the A3’s range will be around the 550 km mark, with power set to vary as a result of both the S3 and RS3 being slated to use the same EV optimised foundation.
As its stands, little about the next A3 continues to be known, however, don’t be surprised if more details emerge over the coming months despite its world debut still being three years off.
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