Audi A3 Sedan Concept provides insight to future A3 model

The A3 Sedan Concept measures at 4.44 metres long, 1.84 metres wide and 1.39 metres high, similar in dimensions to the original Audi A4 from 1994. The concept car uses lots of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic in its construction, in places such as the grille, front air intakes, 20-inch wheels, side mirrors, and rear diffuser, with aluminium highlights to complement.

Under the bonnet, the A3 Sedan Concept is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged 5-cylinder petrol engine that produces 408bhp and 500Nm of torque. Mated to a 7-speed S-Tronic transmission, this enables the A3 Sedan Concept to go from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, on to a top speed of 250km/h. The underpinnings are mostly based upon the RS3 hot hatchback, with MacPherson struts and aluminium used in the front suspension and a four-link setup with steel control arms at the back.

The interior of the A3 Sedan Concept features four sports seats, a customizable information display between the speedometer and tachometer housed behind the sporty steering wheel, as well as plenty of space, with a claimed class-leading wheelbase of 2.63 metres. The A3 Concept Sedan also has a 410 litre boot.

An innovative feature of the A3 Sedan Concept is the inclusion of iPad holders at the back of the front seats. Audi says that the A3 Sedan Concept is also a wireless hotspot and so surfing the Internet in the car would be a breeze. There is also a knob and touchpad in between the front seats to control the car's MMI multimedia system, which comes up on the sliding screen at the top of the dashboard.