In Britain, Audi made it official that it will soon withdraw the A3 Cabriolet from its lineup as it prepares to make room for the new model, but not before it releases a limited run of the car.
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Last week, we shared scoop pictures of Audi's upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA-rivaling A3 four-door sedan, and now, our spy photographers have nabbed the first images of the open top version of the series testing in Europe.
And mind you, this isn't just any A3 Convertible but the range-topping (unless Audi surprises us with an RS edition) S3, as evidenced by the quad exhaust tips and the design of the air-vents on the corners of the front bumper, which are identical to the S3 hatchback.
Unlike the current A3 Convertible that’s shares its platform with the previous hatchback, the new model is based on the upcoming A3 sedan's longer wheelbase MQB architecture, something that will not only help improve rear passenger and luggage space, but also affords the car a sleeker look with more balanced proportions.
Even though Audi told us it would launch an A3-based sedan at the end of 2012, that never happened. Instead, we're now waiting for the premiere of the A3 Sedan to take place at a major international auto show in the coming months before it begins to arrive in showrooms at the end of the year or for some markets, in the first quarter of 2014.
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The problem for automakers like Mercedes, Audi and BMW is that these buyers are not able and/or willing to pay the US$40,000 sticker price attached to premium vehicles. Yet they want to have their cake and eat it, too – or, as Glaser puts it, demand “attractive styled cars and the right technology”.
One way to attract those buyers is to lower the entry price: only last week, BMW announced that, starting this spring, it will offer a 320i sedan priced at US$33,445 (including destination) – that’s US$4,300 cheaper than today’s entry-level 328i.
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