The upcoming Q4 e-tron will soon introduce a more affordable electric option to the Audi brand, but the push towards EVs won't stop there. Audi has already confirmed that its two smallest European models, the A1 and Q2, will not receive new generations and will instead be replaced by EVs. A new report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport now claims that the next-generation Audi A3 Sedan won't be offered with a gasoline-powered variant.
The current A3 just arrived on the US market for the 2022 model year, so this all-electric model isn't slated to arrive until 2027. It will reportedly ride on Volkswagen Group's Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is currently in development to underpin upcoming EVs from all VW brands as part of the company's 'New Auto' strategy.
SSP will make its first appearance with the Volkswagen Project Trinity, a next-generation EV that will set new benchmarks for charging speeds and range, likely exceeding 400 miles on a charge. VW says Trinity will feature software upgrades requiring little to no hardware changes from the factory. The car will launch with Level 2 autonomous technology, which will later be upgraded to Level 4 via over-the-air updates.
Since the architecture is scalable, turning it into an A3 should be fairly simple. It's currently unclear if this next-generation A3, likely called the A3 e-tron, will be offered as a hatchback, sedan, or both.
This news leaves us with several lingering questions. If the A3 will be all-electric, does this mean the S3 Sedan and RS3 will also lose their internal combustion engines? While the S3 could be adequately replaced by an EV, the RS3's characteristic five-cylinder engine would be sorely missed. And what about the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R? The Golf and A3 are currently based on the same MQB platform, so it stands to reason there can't be a gas-powered Golf without a gas-powered A3.
If we are reading the tea leaves correctly, this could be the final generation of small VW Group hatchbacks/sedans with internal combustion engines.