INGOLSTADT, Germany — Audi on Monday offered a peek and more tantalizing information about its subcompact 2011 A1, but Inside Line has learned that "no sales [are] planned for the U.S."
"The car will likely make its world auto show debut at Geneva," Inside Line was told by an insider on Wednesday morning. "No sales [are] planned for the U.S."
Audi in a statement said the A1 design would hew closely to two models that were the basis of its inspiration — the Audi Metroproject Quattro concept and the Audi A1 Sportback study. It also emphasized that customization would be a hallmark of the production A1. "There will be many ways to customize the A1 to your personal ideas, especially in the interior," said Stefan Sielaff, head of design at Audi AG, in a statement.
Audi said "there is a surprise in store" with the A1's grille. "We'll do something here, maybe with the corners and the width of the grille," said Sielaff.
The A1 is characterized by a wide stance, with a short front overhang and pronounced wheelwells. The car has a coupelike silhouette and is aimed at a younger buyer, according to the German automaker.
Inside Line says: If the Mini can make it in these parts, why can't the Audi A1? — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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firstclass says:
12:00 PM, 12/15/2009
I'd say it's not a bad idea to keep the A1 on the other side of the Atlantic. BMW tried it with the 318 (1995-99) but it only seemed to cheapen the brand and make the company more commercial and less exclusive. The same could be said with Mercedes compact C-class (C320se coupe). At least in America anyways, most compact cars are equated with economical and substandard by luxury car owners. Perhaps that is why Mercedes is somewhat hush-hush about their involvement with the Smart Car here.
Anyways I'm sure the a1 would have looked like a Volvo C30 with an A4 nose. Audi needs to start working on brand diversity, if you ask me their cars are starting to blind together a little to well.