Audi believes it can build a UK market for the saloon version of its A3, despite booted small cars being traditionally shunned by British buyers.
The A3 saloon launches on 21st September as the third of a soon to be four-strong A3 range.
Slotting in alongside the existing three-door A3 hatch and five-door Sportback, the Saloon will soon be joined by a Cabriolet, that was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week.
Audi PR Director Jon Zammett agrees that the expert view that compact saloons do not have a market in the UK has generally been correct – until now.
“We can offer this car because Audi is a world player and we operate in markets such as China and North America – markets in which this format of car is huge,” Zammett says.
He adds that customers are becoming consistently more demanding, requiring cars that suit their needs as perfectly as possible; “That’s one of the reasons Audi has done so well with its entries in new segments,” he says.
“With this car we are yet again challenging the product segmentation barriers that you see. We believe we will be greatly expanding the compact saloon segment, earning a lot of new customers who will find that this kind of car suits their life, their daily requirements – it’s not too small and not too big.”
Despite reporting huge interest in the Saloon particularly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, where according to Zammett the static display car “was mobbed,” Audi refuses to predict volume numbers for the car.
“We can’t say what the volume is going to be, it’s too early to tell. This is uncharted territory for us – the first car in the compact premium saloon segment, no-one’s ever really been here.
“We know how many we can make, but in terms of expanding demand and how much passion there will be for a car like this, it could be enormous.”
