A3 Cabriolet won’t make it to the new model line-up
AUDI is set to axe the A3 Cabriolet from its range when the fourth generation of the family hatchback arrives, Auto Express has learned.
The three-door hatchback version of the A3 is being dropped altogether, due to falling sales. And this, coupled with a desire to simplify production and concerns about increased complexity, cost and weight, has prompted Audi to also cull the Cabriolet (the company’s entrylevel drop-top) from the range.
Audi’s product marketing chief Fermín Soneira Santos declined to confirm that the A3 Cabrio would be axed, but he told us that the industry in general was looking very hard at the viability of open-topped models.
“Probably cabrios are going to become under pressure in the near future; it’s not only an Audi thing,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the business case – volume and profitability. And the volumes have become even smaller.
“The UK is an important market for cabrios, but elsewhere it’s more of a challenge. Especially in China, which is such an important global market for us now. Cabrios are a little heavier and more complex, the aerodynamics affect efficiency too, and the volumes are relatively low. Right now, there are many cabriolets in many different segments from different premium manufacturers; that’s one area in the future where I think we’ll see a big change.”
Senior Audi sources have confirmed to Auto Express that the A3 Cabrio is indeed the model in the firing line. However, there is also intense debate within Audi on the future of the TT sports car. Those in favour of a pure-electric successor to that model might win the debate at board level, but it’s open to question whether a roadster derivative would still be part of the range. In addition, the larger A5 Cabriolet could also be under close scrutiny.
“The A3 Cabriolet is in the firing line, and the future of the TT and A5 Cabrio are under close scrutiny”