Car Moon

Following on from the three-door A1 Metroproject quattro presented at the 2007 Tokyo Show, Audi showed off a slightly revised 5-door variant of its city car concept in Paris. The 3.99-meter long (13.09 ft) and 1.75-meter wide (5.74 ft) vehicle gives us a clear view of how the production model will appear when it hits showrooms in 2010 becoming the new entry-level model in the German automaker’s vehicle line-up. -Continued

Under the bonnet, the premium five-door hatch sports a transversely mounted 1.4-litre TFSI engine developing 150PS and 240Nm, and directing this to the front wheels is an S tronic dual-clutch transmission. A 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor integrated in the drive train is able to deliver up to an additional 150 Nm of torque (110.63 lb-ft) when the vehicle is accelerating.

Although this hybrid powertrain may be offered in the near future, the production A1 that will be available in both three-door and five-door body styles will most likely hit the market with a new 1.2-liter TSI gasoline engine developing around 110 HP as well as the 1.4 TSI with outputs ranging from 122 to 150 HP and quite possibly, a 2.0 TFSI with 211 HP which will fit under the hood of the sporty S1. The range will also include a variety of diesel units.