Audi A1 Sportback Concept: First Pictures of 5-door Variant

Nearly a year after Audi unveiled the 3-door A1 Metroproject Quattro concept at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show and the Germans are still fiddling around with their minicar project. This time the firm from Ingolstadt will preview a 5-door variant of their forthcoming MINI rival at the Paris salon. Aside from the two extra doors, the Germans polished the A1’s exterior styling by tweaking the front-end treatment which now features a hexagonal grille and a more concave hood design. -Continued

Other changes in the vehicle’s design include the tweaked rear-end and the more pronounced fenders. As expected, the A1 Sportback’s retains the interior of the Tokyo show concept car.

We don’t have the official technical specs in our hands yet, but we gather the A1 Sportback will most likely use the Metroproject Quattro’s hybrid drivetrain that combines a 150 HP 1.4-liter TSI petrol engine to a 41 HP electric motor in the rear axle. The production version of the A1 which will be offered in both 3-door and 5-door body styles is scheduled to hit showrooms in late-2009 or early-2010.

Insider: Audi to Reveal A1 5door Hatch Concept in Paris

Audi has already confirmed that its long-awaited MINI rival, the A1, will find its way into showrooms by the end of 2009 / early 2010 (depending on the market). The German firm gave us a first glimpse of its new city car at last year’s Tokyo Auto Show with the 3door A1 Metroproject quattro concept but now Carscoop’s has learned that Audi will take the wraps off a 5-door version of the A1 at the Paris Auto Show in October. Our inside sources report that the Paris Show concept car will be closer to the production version than the A1 shown in Tokyo. -Continued

The new Audi A1 will be developed on the VW group's new MQB modular architecture for small and mid-sized cars with transverse engines. Expect to see front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions as well as a top-of-the-line S1 model equipped with one of the latest TSI engines from the VW Group developing over 200HP.

Rendering: Carscoop