# New A3 Â - Announcement Now Made (see other thread)



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

The new A3 will have specs and prices announced very soon. I will be provided with these from Audi UK and I will publish them as soon as I can.

The 5 door version will not see the daylight until the end of next year.


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Thanks very much ScoTTy!

2 weeks ago Audi CS said the end of April, but yesterday said that there was some delay. Glad to hear details are imminent.


----------



## ccc (May 7, 2002)

Good news, Scotty!

I've seen an English-language version of the German brochure at a dealers, but while the piccies were gorgeous, the spec is likely to be different. At least I was able to check the maximum width of the car and know that it'll fit in the garage!


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

I'm glad to hear it ;D

The news should be along in just a matter of days!


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

How wide is it ccc? The new A4 fits in my garage with 3 inches to spare. I plan to widen the garage door. But having just moved in, there are other things that need to be done which are slightly higher on the list of priorities!

TIA


----------



## ccc (May 7, 2002)

The maximum width of the car, mirror to mirror, is 1957mm.

On the recent Europe/Imola trip, we visited the Audi factory and saw the new A3 being built, and some finished models. It looks absolutely gorgeous - so much better than in the published photos. The production line is about 90-95% automated, with laser (and occasional human!) quality checks at every stage. Seeing the car being put together gives you a lot of faith in the final product!


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

Christine,

Apparently we DIDN'T see any 5 door models whilst in Ingolstadt!! These are not coming out until the end of next year and are under extremely close security. The 5 doors we saw didn't see were "mock ups where the factory were probably trying out some things".  ;D


----------



## ccc (May 7, 2002)

Well, we both must need some new specs then!! 

I don't suppose we saw a TT V6 either? :

PS The neg of the pic of your trusty steed coming up to yet another hairpin in the Alps, is in Boots and the piccy will be with you next week.


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Thanks ccc. That's about an inch more than the A4. A tight squeeze then. I hope Audi UK offer the electrically folder door mirrors like in the rest of Europe!

The A3 looks good from the front in photos. But the rear looks a bit big, flat and bland. I haven't seen it in the flesh, but have seen the Audi movie ("The other side of the road"). In that it looks superb from all angles. The rump is quite nicely rounded, contrary to what it looks like in photos. ScoTTy, do you know when dealers will get their demostrators? Mid-June? I'd prefer to see it in the flesh before ordering.


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

According to ACS today, the A3 brochures will not be available until the end of May (mid-May at best). But the chap said that dealers can take orders at the moment and have unofficial details on specs/options and prices. Although when I asked for clarification, he qualified it with "should have".

Any news ScoTTy? Do dealers really have this information on the A3? I will telephone a few dealers to see what they have during lunch. But I cannot imagine that prices and specs are available, because it would be plastered across the Web by now!


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Looks like ACS are talking out of their nether regions again. Spoke to a couple of Audi dealers (Denford Vindis and Worcester Listers), and they have no idea what ACS are talking about. They are not even sure which models will be available from launch, so forget prices and spec.

The Bedford dealer is quite cheesed off with Audi, as he is eager to start selling them, and has been told "end of the month" for the last couple of months.

I think "very soon" is Audi-speak for someone knows when, but we don't know who; "about" is Audi-speak for sod knows.

God help those waiting for info on the TT V6!!


----------



## ccc (May 7, 2002)

I've just come off the phone to an Audi dealer, who knows about my interest in the new A3. He said he still didn't have any info but would be in touch as soon as he heard.

When I spoke to him last week, he said that Audi had a habit of not releasing detailed information until pretty close to the launch date (which ties in with my experience of buying two different models when they were both new to market), which could be a bit tricky for the dealers.

Hey ho - we'll just have to wait for Scotty or a dealer to come up with the goods. In the meantime, I'll keep on saving!


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

I've never experienced buying a car, and certainly not a fresh model. So although I've never taken much notice of when information is released to the public, there does seem to be quite a disparity between models.

I can't say I would have been too fussed if there was an official date for launch of information and the car. But Audi don't even seem to know themselves, which is very annoying. We're not talking about widgets here, but a product which cost hundreds of millions to design and to build a brand new factory. I know the public sector are renown for missing deadlines, but Audi? Therefore why no official date? the Audi A8 had one!


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

Karcsi,

I don't beleive Audi have ever said "very soon". I beleive it was my words and they shouldn't be passed on as Audi's.

Audi have a marketing plan and suggesting Audi don't know themselves is a vague comment. Please try to consider dealers, which are franchises, as another company to Audi. They often don't get any early info coz it's gets blurted out, spoiling careful marketing plans. Therefore the news is carefully controlled and released at the correct time. I have been expecting the news this week and I'll attempt to get clarification on whether this is still the case. When I have an update I'll post it. This means you don't have to worry yourself with the "any news yet scoTTy" posts which come up time to time!


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Your words true, but I assume they were in reference to information supplied to you by Audi. ???

I suppose if Audi supply you with price info by Friday, it's less than a week since your post last week, so still technically "days". 

Suggesting Audi don't know their proverbial from their elbow is not a vague, but perhaps a tenious comment.

ACS cannot seem to give information of any sort of reliability. They pretty much said that they will not know until the brochure is released, and falls on their doorstep.

I tried to clarify ACS's position, whether they were directly in between Audi UK and the dealer network, and how they received information. But they implied that they receive information in parallel with dealers, or even slightly later, which suggests that they are more a back-up for dealers rather than a public face for Audi UK.

I suppose, as you say, I should regard dealers more like a reseller rather than an integral part of Audi (although they should be!). Just like an electrical retailer who just happens to sell a single brand of product.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am appreciative of the information that you provide (and are soon to provide ;D). I am just annoyed that so many major companies seem to know little about their own products.


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

You need to become a little less sceptical.


----------



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

I'm a financial auditor. I'm paid to be sceptical!! 

Nice one, ScoTTy.


----------

