“If this is true, bring it on Audi”.

It’s a dog-eat-dog even in the automotive industry with Audi planning to expand its lineup to no less than 60 individual models by 2020, that’s three years to come. Audi is currently cooking up new products to fill in every possible niche out there in the automotive world.

It is believed one of the novelties will take the shape of an A3 “four-door coupe” based on the compact model’s next generation pinned for a 2019 launch when the regular car will be launched. Auto Express has it on good authority the peeps from Ingolstadt believe there is room in the company’s ever-growing lineup for a new A3 derivative to sit alongside the regular A3 Sedan. As you would imagine, most of the styling cues will be shared between the two, with the new “coupe” to have a more raked roofline and slimmer taillights. The report goes on to specify the car’s design will be in many ways similar to the 2014 TT Sportback concept pictured here.

Like all of the other next-gen A3 models, the sleeker derivative will ride on an evolution of the VW Group’s flexible MQB platform. An early report indicates a more extensive use of lightweight materials will enable a considerable diet of up to 50 kilograms in the case of the next Golf, so expect something similar from the Audi-badged premium counterpart.The A3 will allegedly grow a little bit in size and source some of the technology that will debut later this year in the new A8 flagship, which has already been confirmed to be the first to feature the second-gen Audi Virtual Cockpit. Some self-driving capabilities are also on the agenda, while the plug-in hybrid E-tron model might be joined further down the line by an all-electric A3.

As a final note, it seems Audi is making an A3 “four-door coupe” to go after the CLA, while Mercedes is preparing an A-Class Sedan to fight the A3 Sedan.

Source: zatoprange.wordpress.com