New Audi A3 sedan breaks cover

Audi’s sharper-looking, larger new A3 sedan has been detailed, with an Australian arrival slated for mid- 2021.

However, it will initially ship with older-technology engines carried over from the current car, according to Audi.

At 4500mm long, the A3 sedan is 40mm longer than its predecessor, 24mm higher and some 14mm wider. Its boot size hasn’t grown, though, still offering 425 litres.

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Not surprisingly, the A3 sedan mirrors the recently updated hatchback and Sportback, and will adopt the same technologies, like its 10.1-inch digital dash and adaptive cruise control assist with side recognition and stop/start function, rear-cross traffic alert and a more powerful infotainment system based around a 12.3-inch screen.

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Outside, there are LED headlights and taillights, while there will be an option for 19-inch rims and larger brakes as part as a sport option.

The Audi’s MQB chassis – “it’s not just a Golf platform,” said Audi A3 project manager Juergen Kornprobst - will offer multilink rear suspension and the option of active dampers with a wider spread between active and sport tunes, and there’s a progressive steering rack up front.

All-wheel-drive versions will also score Audi’s new modular dynamic handling control system, which ties together inputs from the adaptive dampers, stability control systems and the quattro drive based on steering inputs to tweak the handling to a finer degree.

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The A3 sedan will come – initially at least - with the same 110kW 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as the most recent car.

Audi A3 project manager Juergen Kornprobst confirmed that the A3 will score a 1.5-litre version that comes equipped with the brand’s 48-volt hybrid system as well as cylinder deactivation technology that complies with Euro 6 emission standards. Australia, however, is still at Euro 5 standards.

“It’s a market-specific tune,” confirmed Kornprobst.

On sale in July in Europe, the A3 sedan is expected to arrive in Australia halfway through 2021.