SPIED: The Highly Anticipated Audi A3 Is Spotted In PUBLIC For The FIRST Time

I was just wondering who exactly was anticipating the A3, also how does Audi get away with producing cars that look the same as their sibling... A3, A4 and A8 look the same, just different sizes. A7 is my favorite Audi because it looks different from the rest.

The folks walking into dealers and leaving deposits.

folks like myself that - while overwhelmingly prefer Mercedes - find this design much more tasteful than the CLA. The CLA is outright ugly viewed from certain angle.

also, i LOVE Benz, but trust VAG to produce a fwd-derived product more.

I think most people who will really need to think hard about purchasing this car because like — kussimek said it looks just like all the other Audis except for a the high end and or sports coupes. This car really needs to be really different or stand out from the the other Audis other wise it just another plain Audi that gets lost in their lineup.

Well, as suspected, it doesn't seem to stand out. I thought I saw an A3 in RL today……it was a Passat. Take from that what you will.

P.S. Someone needs to teach this person how to back into a spot.

I'm sure Audi will move some A3's, however this design has already become dated and looks like something I'd pick up off the certified pre owned lot...

All valid points, definitely could have picked a better equipped model if they wanted to get some publicity. This is probably the worst view I've seen of an otherwise nice looking car.

Hate to agree with Obamaeatsbrains, but this A3 is a nicer car than the CLA.

If you want a small upscale daily driver, then this is probably the car you would cross-shop with the CLA. Though I might be more tempted to go for a Verano Turbo.

it's a big small personally when I tried to get in and out of it at the NAIAS. Maybe the seats were jacked up, but I was bumping my head (160lbs, 5'9"). Getting used to bigger cars like the C-class/3series/A4.

although, the M235i was a great small car if I had to choose between the A3 and 228i

It's not bad looking...it just already looks 10 years old.

Once again it appears people are underestimating the future success of the Audi A3 Sedan. The Audi A3 Sedan's main competitor is the Mercedes-Benz CLA. With that comparison in mind, Audi has created a significantly better product than Mercedes-Benz.

Many people appreciate the understated look of the A3 and its close resemblance to its more expensive A4 and A6 peers. Buyers will feel as though they are getting a similar car but for significantly less money. Not everyone wants the flashy, look-at-me design even for entry-level models.

The Audi A3 Sedan comes with significantly most standard equipment than the Mercedes-Benz CLA to the point where in order to get the CLA to have the same features as the A3 comes standard with, buyers will have to pay an extra $5-7K, not a small amount of money for cars with a $30K base price.

The Audi A3 sedan's interior is of significantly higher quality than the CLA's. The A3 sedan comes with more rear passenger head room and leg room than the CLA as well.

The A3 sedan also has better driving dynamics than the CLA. Audi has been creating front-wheel drive-based mass-market compact cars for decades and this is Mercedes-Benz's first attempt at creating a mass-market front-wheel drive-based compact car with the CLA.

Many people will also claim that people will buy the CLA simply because it comes with the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star on the hood. While that is true to some extent, buyers will expect to have the luxury, cushioned ride and space typically found of more expensive Mercedes-Benz products such as the S-class. Unfortunately, many reviews have criticized the CLA for having cheap materials, a very cramped rear seat and poor driving dynamics - definitely not what the three-pointed star is usually associated with.

Audi has made significant improvements in its brand image in the U.S. market over the last 5 years and in China it is the clear market leader. In China, like the United States, there are a huge number of young and affluent buyers who want a luxury brand car but don't necessarily want to pay a lot of money. The A3 sedan was designed specifically with the U.S. and Chinese markets in mind.

I fully expect the A3 sedan to sell at least 2,500 units per month in the U.S. and much more than that in China.

People who buy the CLA want a Mercedes, and wont cross shop it with a VW product. The base A3 has more competition within VWs own family then from other competitors. You can get a loaded 2.0T Jetta gli autobahn edition which is larger, and better equipped for around $28K.

Where the base A3 gets only a 1.8T, fwd, and is smaller dimensionally for around 30K base price. Also you have to pony up some more cash for the "quattro" (actually Haldex awd system), and a comparable 2.0 from the jetta, but will set you back to $36K in base form. Want some options you can easily get into the $40K range, which will encroach into the more practical A4 territory. The base A3 is a compromise best suited for the badge whore, a practical person would go for the Jetta GLI Autobaun.

I think that Audi buyers like a car that is not like merc, "Look at me". Audi are do doubt the leaders in quality and finish in the CLA and A is poor particularly the interior, rattles, fitting around the doors so that you can the internal paint and worst of all is the stick on iPad that rattles and looks like an after thought.

http://autos.jdpower.com/ratings/dependability-press-release.htm

http://autos.jdpower.com/content/press-release/3WScQEz/2013-j-d-power-initial-quality-study.htm

This should have been the new Jetta or Skoda Octavia

OMG that's cute, 16 year old girls rejoice!!!