Like an A3, just smaller

STICK Audi's A3 in the wash on too hot a setting and chances are you'll end up with something like the A1 supermini, being launched in the UK this week.

The German firm's smallest offering is one of several upmarket city slickers hoping to steal some of the success from BMW's MINI, and it's hoping that it's £13k pricetag will be enough to tempt buyers away from the likes of Alfa Romeo's MiTo and Citroen's DS3.

“The Audi A1 becomes available to order with a UK specification that further emphasises the fact that its more diminutive dimensions are its only half measure,” an Audi spokesperson told The Champion.

“Priced at between £13,145 OTR and £18,280 on the road, the latest, more concentrated embodiment of Vorsprung durch Technik combines the trappings that befit a premium sector hatchback with the technological sophistication and quality of finish that mark out every Audi.”

But rather than going for the openly retro look enjoyed by the MINI and Fiat's reinvented 500, two of the new Audi's immediate rivals, the A1 goes for a much modern style and apes the look of its larger siblings, particularly the sporty A5 coupe. The firm also says that to downsize you won't have to downgrade, with a Multi Media Interface system taken from the much more expensive A8 salooon being on hand to entertain A1 owners.

For more information visit the Audi website at www.audi.co.uk or visit the Audi dealerships in Liverpool or Preston.