Audi A3 2009 News

Audi has today announced a wide-ranging Takata airbag recall, with owners of the Q5, A5 and A3 impacted.

Hot on the heels of the Australian government's mandatory Takata airbag recall, Ford, Audi and Tesla have joined the list of carmakers to detail which of it's models are affected.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

THE Audi A3 small car -- which owes much of its DNA to the Volkswagen Golf -- has won the 2014 World Car of the Year, as voted by 69 jurors from 22 countries. The luxury hatch toppled the widely-tipped favourite, the Mazda3 from Japan, in the awards announced at the New York motor show today.The Audi A3 was among five German cars that took out a cleansweep of the 2014 World Car of the Year categories, and it was Audi’s second win in 10 years, having won the inaugural award. Indeed, German cars have won seven of the past 10 World Car of the Year awards, Japanese brands have won the remaining three.Accepting the award on behalf of the company, Audi's North America president Scott Keogh said: “The Audi A3 has only been on sale three weeks and already it’s off to a flying start.”Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, said: “This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate.”The Audi A3 was among 24 finalists that included the BMW i3 electric car, which won the Green Car of the Year and the Car Design of the Year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the Luxury Car of the Year while the Porsche 911 GT3 was awarded top performance car honours.But the Mazda3 had emerged as an early favourite for the outright World Car of the Year award following rave reviews globally since it went on sale late last year. The previous generation Mazda3 has been Australia’s top selling car for two of the past three years, and was the vehicle that ended the Holden Commodore’s record 15-years as the market leader, in 2011.The Mazda3 is returned to the top of the sales charts so far this year -- after being overtaken by the Toyota Corolla in 2013 -- and is likely to take out top-seller status this year buoyed by the new model which went on sale in January.World car of the year winners2014 – Audi A32013 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk72012 -- Volkswagen Up2011 -- Nissan Leaf2010 -- Volkswagen Polo2009 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk62008 -- Mazda22007 -- Lexus LS4602006 -- BMW 3 Series2005 -- Audi A62014 World Car of The Year category winnersGreen car of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carCar Design of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carPerformance Car of the Year -- Porsche 911 GT3Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S-ClassThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The newest addition to the 2015 Audi A3 lineup is this stylish convertible, a “Cabriolet” in Audi-speak, and it makes its debut Tuesday at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. The new model has grown slightly, stretching 4420mm in length compared to the previous model’s 4237mm, and this has resulted in more space in the cabin as well as extra storage in the boot. For performance fans, Audi says the bigger size also allows wheels ranging up to 19 inches in diameter to be fitted for the first time. In terms of styling, the A3 Cabrio is virtually identical to other 2015 A3 models up until its A-pillar, after which much of its sheet metal is unique. Underpinning the car is the Volkswagen Group’s flexible MQB platform, which also underpins the 2015 Volkswagen Golf and the rest of the A3 range. A key advantage of the MQB is lightweight design, which should make the new A3 Cabrio more fuel-efficient as well as more dynamic than the outgoing model. The lightest variant tips the scales at 1365kg, around 50kg less than the outgoing car. The roof is an automated soft-top and requires just 18 seconds to go up or down, even at speeds of up to 50km/h. It has a glass rear window and comes in several colours, though black is standard. An active rollover protection system protects the occupants in case of a rollover accident. It consists of two spring-loaded plates that are recessed into the body. The interior echoes the rest of the A3 range, with the same layout and features. Audi's latest MMI interface system handles the media and navigation functions, with displays of either 5.8 or 7 inches available. 4G LTE broadband connectivity is also offered. An optional lighting package includes a touch-sensitive switch for the reading lights--a feature being offered for the first time. The 2015 A3 Cabrio has so far been announced with 1.4- and 1.8-litre TFSI engines, delivering 103 and 132kW, respectively. A 2.0-litre TDI is also offered, delivering 110kW. More options will be announced at a further date. Transmission options include a six-speed manual and seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch ‘box. Audi is also planning a high-performance S3 Cabriolet. This will get the same 2.0-litre TFSI engine found in other S3 variants, good for 220kW and 379Nw of torque, as well as standard quattro all-wheel drive. Sales of the 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet begin in Europe not long after the show, and we can expect to see the car in Australia early next year. www.motorauthority.com  

Do you know where your owner's manual is? Did you read it from cover to cover when you bought your car? Do you read it these days? Chances are, the answer to at least one of those questions is “no”. Maybe that's because you're a whiz at cars, or maybe you feel like you know everything there is to know about your current ride, but for the rest of us, owner's manuals come in awfully handy. Problem is, there's a lot of information contained in a well-written owner's manual, and finding the answer to a particular question can often be difficult. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just look at a particular element on your car and know everything there was to know about it? Well, now you can -- at least on the Audi A1 and A3. In a press release from Audi's tech partner, Metaio, the two companies have just unveiled the Audi A3 eKurzinfo Augmented Reality App, an interactive owner's manual, stored right on your smartphone. It's the second augmented reality manual from them, following the recent launch of one for the A1 -- and suggests more will spread across the Audi range. The apps work very simply: when users have questions about a particular element on their car, they simply crack open the app and aim their camera at the element in question. For example, in the video above, a passenger wants to know about the stop-start button in the middle of the A3's dash. He points his phone's camera at the button, the app recognises the gadget, and a description pops up. He can then tap that description for a bit more information. A concern about the temp gauge leads to information about what's happening, and then direction to find the coolant top-up point -- a blessing for those who open a bonnet to find a confusing jumble of engineering underneath. What's also interesting is that the app draws its information from the cloud, so the app itself rarely needs to be updated, if ever. Provided you're not scrambling for information in a location without cell service, that's a great thing. We're predisposed to like this sort of technology. It's convenient, it's intuitive, and it's constantly updated, making it especially useful in the case of recalls and other problems. It's not yet a substitute for a hard copy of the owner's manual, but it could be very soon. The Audi A3 eKurzinfo Augmented Reality App is slated to debut on iOS devices. (No word on when an Android equivalent might appear.) It hasn't arrived on iTunes just yet, but if you're curious, you can check out the similar app for the A1. www.thecarconnection.com  

A3 product head Frank Hermann revealed at this week’s global sedan launch that a cabriolet will round out the range and will share the sedan’s edgy styling. “The car will debut at Frankfurt and it will launch in Europe in February or March," he tells Carsguide in Hungary. “Like all of the A3s, the cabrio proportions are right. It will be based on the A3 Sportback but the body has been taken from the sedan.” He makes the distinction because, despite the joint drivetrains, not one exterior panel is shared between the five-door hatch and sedan. Hermann oversaw the development of the A3 range and says the cabrio is a huge step up from the outgoing car. “The last A3 was designed eight years ago and we have come a long way since then,” he says while noting the lightness and strength of the modular MQB chassis that underpins all new compact cars in the VW Group stable has been a major asset in improving ridigity of the roofless model. “Flex is always an issue with a cabrio but the (MQB) platform has given our engineers a head-start in this area,” he says. “It will share drivetrains with the other A3 models and, as you have seen, they are strong engines with good character. The interior is also important for cabriolet buyers - they want high-quality - and we have this also.” Hermann adds there are no plans to develop an A3 coupe to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and BMW 1-Series “at this time”.  

...Volkswagen Golf, which shares the mechanical package under the new German soft top.  

The latest generation of the Audi A3 arrived here last year, and we’ve already spied the A3 Cabrio and its sporty ‘S3’ variant testing in prototype form. But these computer-generated renderings give us a fairly accurate look as to how the new convertible will be styled. With many buyers in the luxury market now looking for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles, the new generation of the A3 Cabrio could be too hard to resist. The new A3 Cabrio will be bigger than the model it replaces.The car’s only direct rival will be the upcoming 2-Series Convertible from BMW, which replaces the current 1-Series Convertible, although we could eventually see a convertible added to Mercedes-Benz’s new small car family. Powertrain options are likely to include a base 1.8-litre TFSI gasoline engine rated at 132 kW and 249 Nm, as well as a more powerful 2.0-litre unit. The high-performance S3 Cabrio will feature the same 2.0-litre TFSI with 218 kW of power and 379 Nm of torque found in the S3 Hatch and S3 Sportback. Inside, owners will find nice round dials and air vents, plus plenty of leather. Audi's latest MMI interface system will handle the media and navigation functions, with displays of either 15 or 18 cm available. Look for a debut of the Audi A3 Cabrio sometime next year, which means you can expect a 2015 model year arrival. www.motorauthority.com  

The three-door Audi A3 hatch on show in Geneva previews the vehicle due to go on sale in Australia early next year and is incrementally a smarter car in from the lightweight panels to the new multimedia interface. The body looks slightly more chiselled, there's more interior room and width despite overall length not increasing, and there are three new turbocharged direct-injection engines with idle stop/start helping with average fuel savings of 12 per cent. Options run from xenon headlamps to safety software such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and blind spot assist. The new A3 will launch in Europe with a diesel and two petrol engines, though a hybrid system, engine with cylinder deactivation and performance quattro versions will soon follow. The base 1.4-litre petrol engine is good for 90kW/200Nm, with power transmitted via a six-speed gearbox to the front wheels.  The same configuration underpins the 110kW/32Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel, while a seven-speed automated manual transmission is standard with the 132kW/250Nm 1.8-litre petrol engine. The diesel uses a claimed 4.1 litres/100km against 5.2 litres/100km for the smaller petrol and  5.6 litres/100km for the 1.8. The infotainment system combines telephone functions, voice control, navigation and media interfaces, with a pop-up screen from 5.8-7inches, depending on the car's specification - Attraction, Ambition or Ambiente. One tick for the 1.8-litre Ambition will be the standard inclusion of the "drive select vehicle dynamics system". It lets owners adjust the response of the accelerator pedal, power steering and auto transmission in five modes - comfort, auto, dynamic, individual or efficiency.