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This car gives Audi something BMW and Merc don't have: a little city runabout aimed at fledgling luxury buyers.
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AUSTRALIAN car sales have been in reverse this year and only one of the German luxury triumvirate is enjoying growth ...
... Audi. Its recent boom - 20 or even 30 per cent expansion a year - is over but, to the end of May, it's still ahead an impressive 13 per cent.
Most brands would kill for that, particularly BMW and Mercedes. After a desperate race to the finish last year, which Mercedes won for the first time since 2003, they're both in the dumps. Demand for BMWs is down more than 6 per cent and Mercedes more than 8 per cent.
The latest figures, released a week ago, show what this means. The luxury market has become a three-horse race. It's no longer just between BMW and Mercedes. To the end of May, Audi has sold 250 vehicles more than Mercedes (excluding its commercial vehicles) and is within a few dozen buyers of BMW. For the first time, there's the real possibility Audi could beat both its rivals, as it already does in Europe.
The youngest product in the Audi line-up, in more ways than one, is the A1. This car, based on the Volkswagen Polo, gives Audi something the other two don't have: a little city runabout aimed at fledgling luxury buyers. That's unless you count the Mini, which is part of BMW but added up separately.
The A1 is based on the Volkswagen Polo and, when you know that, it looks expensive for a tiddler. But the add-Audi-bling formula is working. Demand for the A1 is running neck-and-neck with Mini despite lacking its range of body styles or engines.
Audi is remedying that. It will add a 1.6-litre diesel to the A1 line-up later this year and the Sport model has just arrived. The Sport uses the same supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-litre engine already in the Polo GTI, although with 4kW more power for 136kW. That's 46kW more than the 1.4 in the standard A1.
A seven-speed double-clutch transmission is standard, as are big wheels, some body sculpting, Bluetooth and rear parking sensors.
It all comes at a price, with the A1 Sport at $42,500 plus on-road costs pitched at the level of the Mini Cooper S. That means it's $10,000 more than the cheapest A1, and almost $15,000 above the cheapest Polo GTI.
On performance, the A1 Sport matches the Polo GTI's 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds, which is fast for a car this size and within a whisker of the quickest Mini.
As a Mini rival, the A1 Sport earns its spot on shopping lists. It lacks the retro appeal of the Mini, of course, but can be customised and specced in a similar way. Although it's the same underneath as the Polo GTI, the A1 has the more intriguing design, classier surfaces and better materials. Whether that means the four rings are worth the substantial extra spend over the Volkswagen is a question the cashed-up and fashion-conscious are already answering in the affirmative.
With a Sport and a diesel in the mix, A1 sales should almost double. That will take the A1 past Mini and could, possibly, move Audi past BMW.
Read more about prestige motoring at The Australian.
