Audi has confirmed the information that the 2016 Audi A3 e-tron will make its way to the US market. The German car maker has confirmed the price and the availability for the plug-in hybrid model.
The company has pinned October as the date when the vehicle will arrive in dealerships and the price is set at $37,000.
The A3 e-tron will be the first electrified car that Audi is selling in the US. The price of $37,900 doesn’t account for incentives and taxes and will join the already solid lineup of small cars by Audi. Alongside the A3 e-tron, Audi offers the A3 cabriolet, the S3 sport sedan and the classic A3 sedan in the US. The A3 e-tron will be the only among the group with a Sportback model.
Under the hood, the five-door plug in packs a 1.4 liter engine combined with an electric motor to produce 204hp and 258 feet of torque. The car is powered by the front wheels, and shipped with a six speed transmission. Sadly, the e-tron will not ship with the Quattro all-wheel drive system that Audi has been recognized for, around the world.
The A3 e-tron will ship with a standard 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery that will require minimum of 8 hours to fully charge. That is, if the owners use the standard 120V unit. However, for those who want faster charge, Audi offers a 240V charger as an optional. The 240V unit powers the battery from zero to 100% in less than three hours.
At the moment, it is not clear how many units will Audi ship to the US. Officials from the company are keeping the number secret, but according to sources, they are aware that it will be tough to sell many units in the US market, considering taxes and everything else. However, the A3 e-tron will try to forge a market for the foreseeable future, when Audi plans to launch many more electric and hybrid vehicles on the market.
Sales of electric vehicles in the US have decreased in the past few months. However, the sales in the premium segment are still strong, and the segment includes the A3 e-tron along the likes of Tesla Model S, Mercedes-Benz B-Class electric version and the BMW i3.
The 2016 Audi A3 e-tron is packed with rearview camera, Xenon headlamps, climate control as standard and has optional features including LED headlamps, iPod integration, heated seats, active lane assist system, MMI infotainment interface and a special audio system. All of the optional features are standard for the higher end Audi A3 e-tron models such as the Plus model and the Prestige trim.
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