Audi A1

The Audi A1 is a supermini-class car launched by Audi at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Sales of the initial three door Audi A1 model started in Germany in August 2010, with the United Kingdom following in November 2010. The car is aimed mostly at young, affluent urban buyers.

Audi A1

The Audi A1 is designed to compete with the Mini, and Alfa Romeo MiTo. The Audi A1 is produced at Audi's Belgium factory in Forest, near Brussels. The Audi A1 is based on the Volkswagen Group PQ25 platform, the same platform used in the SEAT Ibiza Mk4 and the VW Polo Mk5, and in its development Audi has collaborated with SEAT. The Audi A1 uses a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension. The 100,000th Audi A1 was produced in June 2011.

The UK launch of the Audi A1 was held on 13 November 2010. The national launch took place from Battersea Power Station, where up to 300 Audi A1s left London.

In the UK, the Audi A1 trim levels are SE, Sport and S line. SE is the base specification, while Sport and S line models also have sport seats, sports suspension and larger wheels, amongst other features. In 2011 Audi introduced a series of new trim levels, including Black Edition and a series of limited editions, including Competition Line and Contrast Edition. These are based on the Sport trim level with distinctive styling features.

Audi A1

In November 2011, Audi announced the Audi A1 Sportback model. This is a 5-door variant of the A1, identical in external dimensions, but with seating for five and slightly more interior space. Initial deliveries in the UK are expected in Spring 2012.

The Audi A1 was previewed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in the form of the Audi metroproject quattro concept car. The concept seats four and features a new hybrid powertrain. With this powertrain, a 1.4 L (85.4 cu in) 148 bhp (110.4 kW) Turbo FSI engine drives the front wheels via a six-speed S-Tronic, while a 40 bhp (29.8 kW; 40.6 PS) electric motor provides power to the rear wheels. The electric motor is also capable of producing 148 lb·ft (201 N·m) of torque.

The metroproject quattro is able to travel 62 miles (100 km) at up to 62 mph (100 km/h) on one charge of its lithium-ion batteries, which reduces fuel consumption by up to 15%. Both power sources are available to use simultaneously, with the driver then benefiting from McPherson strut front and four-link rear suspension configuration, electromechanical speed-sensitive power steering with a low energy draw, Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping technology, and 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in just 7.8 seconds.

Audi A1 photos