Audi A3 E-tron

Audi A3 E-tron hybrid on sale mid-2014

Audi's plug-in hybrid A3
Will cost from around €38,000 in Europe
35g/km CO2, 188mpg, 31-mile electric range

The Audi A3 E-tron hybrid will be coming to the UK mid-way through next year, the car maker has confirmed.

The plug-in hybrid pairs a 148bhp (COD Cylinder On Demand) 1.4-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to produce a combined output of 201bhp. This gets the car from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 138mph. It has an electric-only range of 31 miles.

Audi also revealed that the A3 E-tron is likely to cost around €38,000 when it goes on sale in Europe, which is £32,500.

E-tron technician Oscar da Silva Martins, said: 'The E-tron will sit in the range as its own trim level, and will get a good level of standard kit.

'The latest MMI system is standard along with the panoramic sunroof. The paint, wheels and interior will all be customisable.'

......... If this is the pre-Grant price .... this could be a bit of a bargain and will give the Volt /Ampera a bit of a fright.

Have Audi announced this as a spoiler for the i3?

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/audi-a3-e-tron-hybrid-on-sale-mid-2014/265941

Wake me up when they give us the spec on how powerful the electric drivetrain is. THAT is what differentiates these PHEVs for me: the electric motor HP/kW rating.

The article implies a 53 HP electric motor, which is pretty anemic.

We have been driving Audi for 20 years now. Too bad it is a hybrid, they should have gone for an A2 BEV ! We loved our A2.
I hope BMW will not disappoint us.

ChrisC said:

Wake me up when they give us the spec on how powerful the electric drivetrain is. THAT is what differentiates these PHEVs for me: the electric motor HP/kW rating.

The article implies a 53 HP electric motor, which is pretty anemic.

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According to http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1312-2015-audi-a3-sportback-etron/ the electric motor has 101 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, with a weight of 3471 pounds. For comparison, the Ford C-Max Energi electric motor has 118 horsepower/177 lb-ft/3859 pounds, the plug-in Prius 80 horsepower/150 lb-ft/3165 pounds and the i3 REx 170 hp/184 lb-ft/2899 pounds.

Looking at horsepower per ton the i3 with 117 has almost exactly double the E-tron's 58. But in lb-ft of torque per ton the E-tron is ahead with 140 versus the i3's 127. So the E-tron should be quite decent off the line in electric-only mode, but I wouldn't want to try to pass someone on a two-lane highway.

Off for a test drive on the 30th June ..... will let you know how I get on.

Lets hope the Audi dealership behaves better than the BMW one did.

Parker said:

Off for a test drive on the 30th June ..... will let you know how I get on.

Lets hope the Audi dealership behaves better than the BMW one did.

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Awesome! Keep us posted - we'd like to include your e-tron test drive on our A3 e-tron forum myAudiA3etron.com