Audi A3 marks 30 years with more than six million built

Celebrations are under way at Audi as the A3 turns 30. The compact model made its world premiere at the 1996 Salon Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, and more than six million units have since rolled off the assembly line, with deliveries to more than 100 countries.

Over four generations the range has grown to include Sportback, Saloon and allstreet body styles, petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power, and the S3 and RS 3. The current generation alone offers 17 model and drive variants.

First Audi A3 and the S3

The first A3 (8L) arrived in 1996 as a three-door hatchback with a rising shoulder line and coupé-like proportions. In September 1998 Audi introduced quattro all-wheel drive to the compact segment for the first time, using an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch at the rear axle.

A five-door followed early in 1999, along with the S3. Its 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder produced 154 kW (210 PS), rising to 165 kW (225 PS) in autumn 2001.

Sportback, Cabriolet and the first RS 3

The second generation (8P) of 2003 grew in length, wheelbase and width and offered a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The A3 Sportback came in September 2004, the first A3 with the Singleframe grille, while the A3 Cabriolet and a five-door S3 with 195 kW (265 PS) followed in 2008. In 2011 the RS 3 appeared with a 250 kW (340 PS) five-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive.

MQB platform and electrification of the A3

Built on the modular transverse matrix, the third-generation 8V used aluminium to cut weight and introduced cylinder-on-demand technology. A saloon joined the range a year after launch, and the 2014 A3 Sportback e-tron became the brand’s first compact plug-in hybrid. The RS 3 Saloon of 2016 used a 2.5 TFSI engine producing 294 kW (400 PS).

Since 2020 the fourth generation (8Y) has added 48-volt mild hybrid systems. The 2021 RS 3 brought a torque splitter, a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds and a 290 km/h top speed. The A3 allstreet crossover arrived in 2024, the same year the S3 rose to 245 kW (333 PS).

Where the Audi A3 is built

Production has taken place at Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt from the start. Output was added at São José dos Pinhais in Brazil in 1999, and in the early 2000s at the Győr plant run by Audi Hungaria.

Supplied by Newspress UK (Audi)

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