The Audi A3 Cabriolet is likely to face its main competition from Volkswagen's Eos.
Audi has commenced its 2008 product offensive with a barrage of new models and variants.
The Ingolstadt marque — whose launches have a clockwork regularity — will by July have introduced an insane station wagon, a cute cabrio, a sexy coupe and their crucial mid-size sedan.
The RS6 Avant, TTS, A3 cabrio and their all-important BMW 3 Series rival, the new A4, will be showcased at the Melbourne International Motor Show. With the atmo V10-powered S6 sedan obviously considered on the soft side, the RS6 Avant cops a twin-turbo version good for 426kW/650Nm and a 0-100km/h sprint time of a claimed 4.6 seconds.
Essentially an all-wheel-drive family wagon with near-supercar performance, it's priced at $259,000. As one of Audi's typically gnomic marketing blurbs puts it, the uber-wagon buyer is “likely to be a highly successful 45- to 64-year-old businessman with a family.” Right ...
By contrast, the TTS — available locally in coupe or cabrio form from July — will be driven by one who is a “culturally-minded 25- to 64-year-old with a strong interest in fashion, architecture and design.” Of course.
Packing the same hugely enhanced version of the 2.0-litre direct injection turbo four that motivates the S3, the range-topping TTS gets quattro all-wheel-drive and a choice of S-tronic robotised manual or a proper 6-speed manual transmissions. If you happen to be “25 to 54 years with an active, outgoing approach to life and a love of the outdoors” then you'll just love the A3 Cabriolet. Apparently.
At a time when drop tops are hardening up, this one retains a lightweight soft top. Due here in July, it will want to be pretty good if it's to succeed — not so much against BMW's 125i, but Volkswagen's Eos.
But it's those between “30 and 54 years with a young family, and likely to be in a management role with an interest in design, technology and computing” that Audi really needs to land with the largely new A4 sedan.
Due in April, pricing for the sedan (the wagon follows later) has been announced. It starts at $50,900 for the 1.8 TFSI manual and $53,500 for the multitronic auto; $54,900 for the 2.0-litre TDI diesel in auto and $88,500 for the 3.2-litre FSI quattro tiptronic.
A 2.7-litre TDI multitronic, at $67,900, follows in May or June, with a 2.0-litre TFSI quattro later in the year.
Built on the MDS platform already available in the S5 and A5 coupe, the A4 should have the same marginally improved ride and handling.
