Earlier this year, Audi boss, Martin Winterkorn, confirmed that a drop top of the company’s popular hatch is on the cards and hinted at a 2008 roll-out for the new model. Now, entering the last quarter of 2007, there have been sightings of this eagerly awaited model.
A pair of test mules has recently been spotted in the US and near the company’s headquarters in Ingoldstadt, Germany. Sporting little in the way of disguise cladding, these cars show that a number of significant stylistic changes have taken place. A glimpse at the photographs confirm our earlier reports that, in spite of the company’s access to the folding tin top technology from the Volkswagen Eos, the A3 Cabriolet will adopt a canvas roof.
The side profile will remain similar to that of the current A3, thanks to a sharply raked rear window. The electrically operated canvas roof will fold flat behind the rear seats, revealing twin roll-over hoops.
Other significant styling changes include a new bonnet, narrower headlights, a revised chin spoiler and a radical restyle to the rear. Many of these new styling cues are said to help align the A3 more closely with such models as the A5 and the next-generation A4 saloon. The influence of the A5 is especially evident in the headlight and brake light treatments.
The A3 Cabriolet will, reportedly, be built at the company’s Brussels plant in Belgium. The factory, which Audi recently took over from Volkswagen, is capable of producing some 30 000 A3 units annually and has also been tipped to build the upcoming A1 sub-compact.
Although the A3 Cabriolet is expected to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, a September introduction at the Frankfurt Auto Show is still possible.