Audi will need to be quick if it wants to beat BMW to be the first to launch a premium small convertible in the UK. The BMW is set to go on sale in the UK in April, while the A3 is expected to follow a month later.
The A3 Cabriolet shuns a folding metal roof in favour of a fabric hood, which Audi says lets the roof fold away into a smaller space to leave more passenger and luggage room. The roof can be lowered and raised either completely at the push of a button or on less expensive versions the driver will have to release a locking mechanism before the electric motors drop the hood.
Power for the A3 Cabriolet comes from two petrol or two turbodiesel engines. The 1.9-litre turbodiesel is the least potent with its 105bhp, while the 2.0-litre turbodiesel packs 138bhp. Petrol engines are taken care of by 1.8- and 2.0-litre turbos with 158 and 197bhp respectively. The 2.0-litre petrol engine will also be available with Audi's DSG sequential manual gearbox.
Audi is keeping schtum about prices for the moment, but the A3 Cabriolet should start at just less than £20,000, which should match the BMW's price tag. Audi says more powerful versions of the A3 could well go on sale to rival the faster BMW 1 Series Convertible models, though an S3 version is unlikely.
Alisdair Suttie
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