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A Timberlake fan posted shots of the singer with the A1 hatch on social networking site Facebook. Audi's not too upset though, as the leaked images coincided with launch of a teaser graffiti sketch of the car and a video of the designers Dany Garand and Audi head of design Stefan Sielaff, discussing the car's key characteristics.
Audi has just announced Timberlake as a brand ambassador for the marque. He will front an internet campaign for the car ahead of its launch. The German carmaker plans to release snippets of A1 information every few days in the run up to the car's official March 2 unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.
The hatch is expected to arrive in Australia early in 2011. In looks the A1 sticks very close to the metroproject quattro and Sportback concepts. Production versions will share their underpinnings with the new-generation Volkswagen Polo, which goes on sale here next year.
Like the metroproject, the A1 is expected to get the chromed-alloy strip running up the A-pillar and down to the C-pillar. Both three and five-door models will be available, as well as a cabrio version. An S version with a performance tuned turbo four cylinder is also planned.
Audi is likely to delve into its parts bin to release a range of TDI and TFSI four-cylinder engines, including VW's 1.4-litre TFSI engine. The company is expected to pitch the A1 as a premium luxury hatch, squarely aimed at BMW's Mini. That means entry pricing should start around $33,000.
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