It seems that the market for small cars is going to witness a new entrant soon. Audi is all set to unveil its new concept car, 4-Door Audi A1, in the upcoming 2008 Paris Auto Show. The new car is believed to provide further hints about the styling of next year's all new A1. Tokyo Motor Show, held in October 2007, exposed us to the first concept for the upcoming A1 production model i.e. the Metroproject Quattro. Audi has made advancement over the previous concept; with the new one having one more door (Metroproject Quattro had three doors).
The new, 4-Door Audi A1 Concept Car has been positioned below the segment C/small sized Audi A3. However, it is expected to go head to head with premium segment B/lights cars, such as the MINI Cooper and the Alfa Romeo MiTo. In fact, the new A1 will be at the bottom of the Audi family tree. It is further believed that the car will be a follow on from the premium priced baby A2, which sold in Europe from 1999 to 2005. 4-Door Audi A1 Concept Car might have the same engine as Metroproject Quattro i.e. 1.4L TFSI engine.
The 1.4L TFSI engine promises to deliver a total of 150-hp. While the electric motor gives 41 horsepower, the fuel-economy is somewhere around 48 mpg. As far as the features of Metroproject Quattro are concerned, there are no indications of their being carried forward. Audi might also come up with an electric model of the car later. As per reports, 4-Door Audi A1 Concept Car will go into production at Brussels (Belgium) and will be introduced as a 2009 model. Till now, there are no plans of launching the car in North America.
