Audi To Halt Production Of A3 Due To Low Demand

Thats a shame. I thought the car had potential but the price was high and the interior was lacking the Audi treatment. It also need a more aggressive front like the new A8

I agree, it was too expensive and the lack of a two door didn't help- don't care for the looks- looks like a wagon (don't get me wrong, some wagons look good- A4, but not this)

the A3 tdi still gets my respect, however, if you can get leather power seats in the golf or jetta wagon then I can see choosing them over the a3.

Still the number one selling car in its class. Plus a new A3 on the way.

maybe people saw through its steel sheets and saw a rebadged golf. or maybe audi brand name is as valuable as a pile of manure.

maybe a new A3 will come soon that's even better than the new golf. or maybe someone is just bitter? Let's select cars based on what they are, not what a "brand name" is worth. Unless you admit to being a badgewhore...

am i wrong to point out A3's golf origins? you don't see audi's competitors basing an entry car on an econocar like the golf. and to think that the 1-series and the A class outsells the A3 by a significant margin (A3 sells about 13000 a month, 1-series 22000 a month).

a badgewhore? heh, just wait till next year when audi introduces its A1, which its competitors won't compete against and audi introduced just to topple bmw, you'll know just who's whoring out its badge.

and to think that the A1 will suffer the same demise as the terrible A2, everyone but audi's going to be laughing in the end.

validus00

Your stupid statements with regards to the VW Golf Amuses me.

What you call an Econo Car has better Exterior & Interior Quality, Fit & Finish than most of the So Called " Premium / Luxury " Vehicles sold in the USA.

Also Given that the Golf R is £30,000 before Options i would not call it " Cheap"

When Cadillac, Buick & Lincoln start using Double Clutch Transmission Technology we might take you seriously.

And your asinine claims amuses me. So what? The fact that the golf is thousands cheaper than a camery and barely more expensive than a matrix, it's an econocar alright.

Last time I checked, American luxury still means leather as standard.
And just because a scion has better build and "finish" doesn't make it less than an econocar.

The golf starts at 17,620. Saying how much the golf r costs compared to the base golf is akin to how much the Shelby gt500 costs compared the mustang v6. Next time do some research before making dumb comments that make you look silly. Mmmkay?

I read an interesting article that more or less credited Audi for bringing VW out of the dark ages and suggests to me that the Golf is a de-badged Audi.

"From a modern perspective of short model cycles, it’s difficult to fully grasp VW’s situation in the sixties and early seventies. They had been building essentially the same car for some thirty five years. The Beetle and its offshoots were a global phenomena and success story of remarkable scope and dimension. But VW knew it would some day have to replace its cash cow, but it was terrified of the prospect and possible failure. What could possibly replace the most widely built and iconic car in the world?...

"In the end, and just like in my serendipitous picture, the answer was right under their nose, and where it had been since 1964: Audi. VW bought Audi from Mercedes in that year (imagine if that hadn’t happened), and Audi had been building FWD cars since the twenties. In the early seventies, Audi had just finished developing their superb Audi 80 (US Fox), including a very advanced and compact OHC four to power it, the EA827. And Audi was already at work on an even smaller, highly space-efficient transverse-engine FWD hatch, the Audi 50. Bingo! Everything VW needed was at hand, if they could just get their arrogant head out of their rear (engine stubbornness)."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/curbside-classic-the-most-influential-global-car-1975-vw-rabbitgolf-mk-i/

"American Luxury"

How Amusing.

Leather as standard ? Such as the Cheap Tacky Leather you find in the Escalade & Navigator ?

American Luxury means "Lots of Chrome" and that just about sums it up.

Proof of my Statement can be found in All top of the line: Cadillacs / Buicks / Lincolns.

They should have sold the more attractive three door, a good competitor for the Mini......

Audi should have differentiated the A3 further away from the Golf GTI. The most obvious way to make a meaningful gap, while keeping the relative cost down, would have been to offer A3 Quattro with the 2.0T engine and a manual. I would pick that combination over GTI (which doesn't offer Quattro/4Motion) or A4 (as A3 is cheaper and smaller).

i always thought it was too short and frumpy, awkward front too...

I'd rather pay 40k for a 335i then for a decked out camry.

This is a shame. I actually bought an A3, and I really like the car. I agree they need to bring the price point down a bit, but I tell you, for a car that doesn't sell well in the US, people are always commenting on how much they like it and ask what sort of car it is.

If this car had a base around 22k and fully optioned was around 31-33k, they wouldn't be able to keep up with demand.

Sharing of technology between models is common for all large car companies. It doesn't matter if you're talking about GM brands/Cadillac, Ford lines/Lincoln, Toyota lines/Lexus, Nissan lines/Infinity, Honda lines/Acura, VW/Audi/others.. the list goes on so nothing new here. Audi is positioned as one of VW's higher end car lines, and tends to go for more that competing models from the more common car lines this company makes.. again, no different from other large car companies and not news either. In the larger view, one large car company is very similar to another. Attempting to degrade one car's line of products with mindless diatribe doesn't make another car manufacture's brand(s) any more appealing IMHO. In the end we buy what we like within the limits of our budget.