Audi A3 launched in South Africa; India may be on the list too

The four-door version of the Audi A3 has been launched in South Africa and will hit the showrooms in January 2014. The A3 sedan is the third addition to the A3 family since the hatchback was launched in November 2012. With a huge 425-litres boot, the sedan is a bit more practical than the hatchback and perfectly bridges the gap between the A3 Sportback and the A4. The car will be equipped with Audi’s Quattro system.

In South Africa, the A3 is being offered with the option of three turbopetrols along with a 148bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel making 350Nm of torque. The base petrol engine is a 1.4-litre TFSI making 123bhp (manual ‘box) and 120bhp (S-tronic) with 200Nm of torque, while the 1.8-litre turbo pumps out 177bhp and 250Nm of torque. The range starts at R323,500; the Indian-equivalent of Rs 19 lakh.

In other news, the Audi A3 sedan’s latest mule was recently spotted in Mumbai. In India, we can expect the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines along with a host of petrol engines. The car will be offered with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed S-Tronic gearbox.

The Mercedes CLA is the main competitor of A3 in the international market. Both these cars are soon expected to launch in India with a sub-Rs 25 lakh price tag. Initially the car will be imported via the CBU route but will eventually become a locally assembled model.

The Audi A3 Sedan is based on Volkswagen group’s MQB platform and will be the second car based on that platform to make its way to India, the first being the recently unveiled 2013 Skoda Octavia. The A3 sedan was first showcased at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.