Audi has surprised us by releasing a full suite of images of their “next big thing“—the Audi A1. The A1 is due for a full public reveal at the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks.
So, what do we make of the Audi “MINI”? First impressions of the exterior are very good. Although, this is one car that will look best with larger alloys. The front and rear light clusters are works of art, as is the norm for Audi these days.
Inside, too, the immediate response is one of quality and Germanic style. The fold away nav screen is a nice touch. Although, speaking of touch, the touch screen nav systems used by Volkswagen, in the Golf for example, are a step ahead of current Audi navigation systems in terms of usability. Of course, it remains to be seen how this new MMI system will work in the A1, but a move towards the VW style would have been welcome.
Another observation from these pics is the apparent lack of dual climate control. Such systems are becoming common place these days and for a car claiming to be the first fair dinkum premium car in the compact class this might be a minor oversight. Having said that, the detail of the air vents in the A1 is something.
Audi is intent on trying to match MINI for customisation with the A1. Things like choosing the colour of the dramatic roof arch or tailoring interior appointments, even down to the detail of the air nozzles and colour of interior LED lighting, should ensure potential buyers are kept busy while working out how many of said options they can afford.
Not too much is given away on the engine range at this stage. There’s certainly no confirmation of an S1 model at this early stage, that’s for sure. For now, then, we know there will be four engines at initial launch, two diesel and two petrol. All will be turbocharged and the power on offer ranges from 63kW–90kW. As expected with those moderate numbers fuel consumption (l/100km) hovers around high 3s-mid 5s and CO2 figures are also relatively low.
These figures are gained, in part, through the use of Audi’s start-stop system which will be included on all engines mentioned at this stage. A 7-speed S tronic transmission will also be available across the board.
I’d say I speak for most AUSmotive readers when I say I am most anticipating the announcement of the S1 model (expected to debut at the 2011 Paris Motor Show). However, I am now more inclined to think the S1 will have a quattro drivetrain after AUSmotive recently learned there are plans to use such a system on the A1 platform. Either that or I was indirectly given the scoop on plans for a new Q1 model. Let’s hope it was the former!
You know the drill, heaps of images are all yours after the jump, along with more detail in the form of Audi’s press release.
