|
The baby of the Audi fleet has stayed largely true to the concept first shown in Tokyo two years ago, keeping the promise of a stylish small car that will take the fight for buyers both young and young-at-heart right to the garage door of the currently unrivalled segment leader from Mini. "The A1 is a direct challenge to the Mini, both from a philosophical and a financial point of view," Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf said from the international launch of Audi's range-topping A8 in Spain this week. "It is a model with which we can attract buyers who may never before have considered an Audi as their type of car."
Like the Mini, Audi will encourage buyers to be whimsical and inventive with personalising their cars, promising a range of modern exterior colours, coloured air nozzles, themed LED interior lights or seat covers to suit a mood. “This is a great car and we are definitely going to bring it to Australia as soon as we possibly can,” Audi Australia's general manager for marketing, Immo Buschmann, says. “It is a car that I am really looking forward to having some fun with in the marketing . . . it is a marketer's dream.”
Burgdorf says the A1 should be in Australian showrooms early next year and while it is too early to confirm pricing "you would be foolish to think that it will not be a direct competitor for Mini".
Buschmann believes that while the positioning of the car against the well established Mini is a challenge it will represent an achievable step into the Audi brand for young aspirational buyers, there is a huge sales opportunity among existing brand owners. “I honestly believe the majority of A1 buyers will be people who already have an A8 or an A6 in the garage and buy the A1 as a second car," Buschmann says. "The great thing about the A1 is that it is a product that appeals to a certain clientele and it allows us to take a marketing approach that is a lot wilder without jeopardising the prestige position of the brand. The sub-compact segment is one in which we have never competed and in many ways the A1 will offer similar opportunities as the TT did when it launched. The car is so different that, while it is definitely an Audi, there is the opportunity to go a little wild, a little off-beat without the danger of damaging the core values of the Audi range.”
The A1 will be available from launch with four four-cylinder engines, a pigeon pair of 1.6-litre turbo diesels good for 66kW and 77kW and two TFSI petrol engines — a 63kW 1.2-litre and the range-topping 90kW 1.4-litre version.
All engines will feature regenerative braking and stop/start technology on the 6-speed manual gearboxes. A 7-speed S Tronic double-clutch automatic will be offered as an option. An electronic stability control program will be standard across the range along with an electronic front differential lock.
Fuel efficiency is claimed to range from 3.8 litres/100km to 5.4 on a standard test cycle.
Audi A1
Price: from $35,000 (est)
Engine: 1.2L/4-cylinder TFSI, 63kW/160Nm; 1.4L/4-cylinder TFSI, 90kW/200Nm; 1.6L/4-cylinder TDI, 66kW/230Nm, 1.6L/4-cylinder TDI, 77kW/250Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 7-speed automatic (1.4-litre TFSI); 6-speed manual, 7-speed automatic (1.4-litre TFSI), 5-speed manual (TDI).
Fuel economy: from 3.8L/100km to 5.4L/100km.
|
