Audi A3 Set for India Debut; Launch, Features, Price Details

Looks like German luxury car maker Audi is all set to drive the A3 sedan to India.

Audi A3, the car maker's cheapest offering in India, is likely to make its entry during this festive season. Although previous reports suggested that Audi A3 would make its debut only in August, recent reports indicate that the car will hit the showrooms by mid-July.

Globally, the A3 is offered with both petrol and diesel engines. While the diesel version of the car is powered by a 2.0-litre TDI engine that can generate 150bhp of power and 320Nm of torque, the petrol model comes with either a 1.4-litre TFSI engine or a 1.8-litre TFSI motor. The 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine, which can churn out 140bhp, does the work in the base variants, while the 1.8-litre TFSI powers the top-end variant.

In India, Audi is likely to introduce both the petrol and diesel versions. However, to keep the price low in the domestic market, the company might remove the high displacement 1.8-litre TFSI engine from the offering.

The A3 sedan measures 4460mm in length, 1800mm in width and has a wheelbase of 2640mm and will be brought to India as CKD (Completely Knocked-down Unit) route. According to reports, the company will assemble the vehicle at Audi's Aurangabad facility.

The local assembling would help the company to price the vehicle competitively in the Indian market. According to an Auto NDTV report, Audi A3 is likely to carry a price tag around ₹22-23 lakh for the base variant and ₹27 lakh for the top-end model.

The company is expected to commence the bookings for the A3 sedan soon.

Audi's current portfolio in India includes A4, A6, A8 in the passenger car segment (S6 and S4 in the performance versions of these sedans), Q3, Q5 and Q7 in the SUV segment and R8, V8 and R8 Spyder in the sports car category.

Audi recently launched the A8 L facelift in the country. Priced at ₹1.12 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai), Audi A8 L facelift comes with minor tweaks in its interior as well as the exterior. On the mechanical front, the A8 facelift is offered with two diesel engines and a petrol engine. The petrol motor is a 4.0-liter V8 Bi-Turbo TFSI, which can churn out a power of 435 PS and a torque of 580 Nm.

Speaking of diesel engines, the car is powered by the 3.0 TDI and the 4.2 TDI. The 3.0-liter V6 can produce 258 PS of power and 580 Nm of torque, while the latter claims to generate 385 PS of power and 850 Nm of torque.