2015 Audi A3 Sedan Stays Below $30K

The brand-new Audi A3 sedan—designed specifically to meet the expectations of U.S. owners—will have an MSRP that starts at $29,900 when it goes on sale here for the 2015 model year. But that’s very much just the starting point for Audi’s compact premium sport sedan. As part of a general push by the Audi brand to grow sales in this country, as well as a determination to plant its flag in a fresh segment of the industry, the A3 lineup will include five members.

First will be the 2015 Audi A3 Sedan proper, with standard features like Bluetooth technology, a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seating, bi-xenon headlights, LED brake lights and daytime running lamps, and a turbocharged 1.8-liter engine that makes about 170 hp. Also, to be clear, it will further represent an evolution of the current hatchback-only A3 by being the first member of the family to wear a sedan body style. After that version debuts early next year, it will be followed by an open-air Cabriolet model, high-efficiency clean-diesel TDI versions, a high-performance S3 variant with a 300-hp engine, and the brand’s first plug-in hybrid, the 2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron.

As another sign of how much effort is behind the launch of the new car, it will offer the full complement of Audi infotainment technologies, including:

• Premium audio by Bang & Olufsen
• 4G LTE connectivity and WLAN hotspot capability
• A full suite of driver-safety measures
• Audi’s proprietary connectivity, app-resource and navigation systems with Google Earth and Street View integration

The party line from Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America: “The Audi A3 sedan raises the bar in this premium compact segment. It will add to our momentum in the U.S. marketplace by bringing a new level of technology, craftsmanship and performance to the market."