Audi is dropping a few cheeky peeks at its new Q3 before officially revealing the model Wednesday.
Back in 2011, Audi entered the subcompact luxury crossover market with its then-smallest offering, the Q3. Since then, pretty much every premium manufacturer has jumped into the fray. It faces stiff competition in the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Infiniti QX30, Volvo XC40, Lexus UX, Jaguar E-Pace and Cadillac XT4. Much like their mainstream counterparts, the subcompact luxury crossover market is red hot. Here, automakers need to keep on their game to best their numerous rivals.
Now Audi is taking their turn to update the Q3 and test the other’s mettle. Seven years after the first generation launch, a new model will debut this Wednesday, July 25. To give us a flavor, Audi released a teaser video for its new subcompact fighter.
We can’t see much of the car just yet, but the new Audi Q3 looks like you’d expect. A sharper, more aggressive Singleframe grille, new LED headlights and shape akin to the larger Q5 and Q7. Pretty formulaic Audi – just on a smaller scale. It looks like the new Q3 takes its corporate cues from the recently unveiled Q8 flagship.
Moving to a new platform
From what we know, the second generation model will move to the ubiquitous MQB platform, which underpins most Volkswagen Group cars. Changes inside the new model will be radical from the old one, which is starting to show its age by now.
As for powerplants, the newest version of Audi’s smallest crossover will likely house a fashionable 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, possibly detuned from the likes of the Q5. The current Q3 makes 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter turbocharged unit. The Q5 and Q7, meanwhile, make 252 horsepower from the same displacement. We’d expect the new Q3 to fall somewhere in the middle.
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Video: Audi Media Center
