Audi A3 e-tron arrives

Audi’s first plug-in hybrid production car, the A3 Sportback e-tron, is finally available in Australia more than a year after its European release.

As announced last month, pricing of $62,490 plus on-road costs makes it the most expensive A3 hatchback on sale, eclipsing even the AWD turbo S3 Sportback ($61,100) — but not the S3 sedan ($63,400) or the upcoming RS 3 hot hatch ($78,900).

However, the A3 e-tron remains under the current Luxury Car Tax threshold of $63,184, and – crucially – is several thousand dollars cheaper than BMW's i3, which costs $63,900 in all-electric form or $69,900 for the REx range extender.

At the ground-breaking new model's local launch today, Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle highlighted the need for Audi to continue investing in new technology to deliver what its customers want.

“Customers buy our cars for the value of the brand, its sportiness, sophistication and efficiency,” he said.

“[Therefore] Audi globally is exploring all logical options and showing leadership in the way we deliver advanced engineering solutions,” Doyle added.

That philosophy is expressed with the A3 e-tron, which will be available through 16 specialist Audi dealerships in major metropolitan centres including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, representing just under half of the German car-maker's Australian retail network but not Tasmania.

"By 2030 Audi AG believes 40 per cent of all new vehicles will have some form of electrification," said Doyle. "Two-thirds of that will be hybrid. Importantly, 80 per cent [forecast] will still have a combustion engine on board."

As detailed in our previous pricing story, the purchase price includes a typical home installation package with fitment by a licensed electrician, enabling the purchaser to charge their A3 e-tron at home via a dedicated 230-volt, 16-amp plug (your home plug is usually 10-amp) that is said to reduce the recharge time by up to 2.5 hours to less than 2.5 hours. Using a household socket ups the recharge time to around five hours.

Additionally, Audi has reached an agreement with utility provider Origin Energy to offset the first 10,000km of A3 Sportback e-tron driving by purchasing accredited renewable energy displacements, as part of the GreenPower program.

An example of the charging cost for the car's 8.8kWh battery in a NSW residential property was provided by Audi. It indicated that it could cost $2.05 as a flat rate, depending on the energy provider. In peak times that increases to $4.45, with off-peak only $1.01.

Audi states the 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and 75kW electric motor can work in tandem or independently as required. They generate a combined 150kW and 350Nm through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The package offers a 920km combined range or 50km on pure electricity, before the 8.8kWh battery requires charging. Fuel consumption is an impressive 1.6L/100km on the combined cycle (translating to CO2 emissions of 37g/km), while that other benchmark – 0-100km/h acceleration – is achieved in 7.6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 130km/h in electric mode.

As standard the 1540kg (without driver) A3 Sportback e-tron boasts driver-adjustable Audi drive select programs, Audi Parking system plus (which includes front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera and park assist, multi-spoke 17-inch 15-spoke alloy wheels, LED headlights and DRLs, convenience key entry and Sport leather-clad front seats.

Also inside, there's a leather multi-function steering wheel with transmission shift paddles, Audi’s music interface which includes Bluetooth streaming and digital radio access, and MMI Navigation plus with retractable 7.0-inch touch-screen, DVD player, 2 x SDHC memory card readers, voice control and 20GB of hard disk storage.

Despite requiring additional space for the hybrid drivetrain the A3 e-tron remains a five-seat vehicle, though luggage capacity is reduced to 280 litres with the rear seats up – 100 less less than the standard A3 Sportback, as is the 1120-litre seat-down storage volume.

Safety hasn’t been compromised, though. The A3 Sportback e-tron stores seven airbags and hosts a suite of safety programs that contribute to the Audi’s five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Stay tuned for our local driving impressions of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron.