The first and second place in the U.S. premium segment may belong to the Germans for 2011, but while BMW and Mercedes-Benz are at the top, Audi couldn’t manage anything better than seventh place, with less than half deliveries of its rivals. Clearly, this is far from ideal for the Ingolstadt-based carmaker since the U.S. remains the number one market for premium brands. Furthermore, Audi, which is the segment leader both in Western Europe and China, wants to overtake BMW as the number one premium brand worldwide by 2015.
That’s why Audi plans to introduce more models in the U.S. market. It will start from next week’s Detroit Motor Show where it will reveal a new concept version of its Q3 crossover named “Vail”, and will follow up with a sedan version of the third-generation A3.
“The next pillar of the market that we have to conquer is the United States”, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told Bloomberg News. “We see opportunities in the SUV and sedan segments”, he added.
Stadler also re-confirmed plans to resurrect the A2 premium compact, the first generation of which was discontinued after failing to meet its targets.
Moreover, despite beginning U.S. production in 2015, long after its rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Stadler said that Audi would follow their example and look into assembling SUVs and sedans at its U.S. plant.
It's been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.
Its main purpose is to preview both the saloon variant and the styling direction of the next A3, which is scheduled for a rollout in 2012 and will also include the successors to today's three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and the two-door convertible models.
"The four-seater notchback sedan offers a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family," Audi said in a statement.
The A3 concept measures 4.44 meters (14.57 feet) long, 1.84 meters (6.04 feet) wide and just 1.39 meters (4.56 feet) high, meaning it's slightly smaller than the new Volkswagen Jetta (4.64 m long).
The sedan study embodies Audi's latest design language as seen on the recent A8, A6 and A7 Sportback models featuring a single-frame grille with tapered upper corners, angular headlights with LED technology and taut body lines.
The show car is fitted with an upgraded version of the 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine found under the bonnet of the current RS3 and TT RS models, producing a peak output of 408-horses. The five-pot distributes power to all four wheels through a seven-speed S tronic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.
We'll have more details on the A3 Concept from the Geneva Motor Show in March.
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