Audi will be performing a facelift for the third generation of the A3 next year. According to a recent report, the 2017 Audi A3 will among other features be equipped with a 12.3-inch TFT fully digital instrument cluster, the same one from the third-generation Audi TT and from the R8 supercar. On these two models, this is offered as standard while on the A4 and Q7 is also available, but will cost extra money.
The technology will be implemented on the updated compact model once this will receive a facelift, next year, and it will set its future customers back for approximately 400 Euros. The virtual cockpit will be offered across the entire range, eventually.
As far as other modifications being performed to the 2017 Audi A3, there are chances that the market should expect the updated front and rear bumpers, some new headlight designs and some tweaks made to the cabin. The engine line-up will most likely remain the same.
The compact German car made in Ingolstadt is in its third generation and it has been in production for quite a few years now. The model is currently being offered as a 5-door hatchback, a 3-door hatchback, a 2-door convertible and a four-door sedan.
It is riding on the MQB platform made by the VW Group which is also used on a lot of other vehicles, including the Golf 7, the new Octavia or the Leon.
In a related development, the Audi Group is continuing along its growth path: From January through June, the company delivered more than 900,000 units of the Audi brand to customers worldwide for the first time in a six-month period.
At the same time, the company increased its revenue to €30 billion and its operating profit to €2.9 billion. It achieved an operating return on sales of 9.8 percent, once again at the upper end of its strategic target corridor of eight to ten percent.
The Audi Group demonstrated its strengths once again in the first six months of this year. Despite high advance expenditure for new models, technologies and the expansion of the worldwide production network, Audi did not lose sight of its ambitious profitability targets.
The company was not left untouched by the heterogeneous development of world markets. Nonetheless, the new record number of cars delivered provides evidence of the strengths of the Audi brand and of the entire Audi Group. Strong demand continued for the company’s products although important models are about to be replaced by the next generation.
Those models account for approximately 40 percent of unit sales. Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing, said: “We intend to grow also in the full year and will continue to successfully master the many challenges facing us.” Due to the high volatility of markets and rising costs for the next stage of the model initiative, cautious business operations are of key importance.
With an increase in unit sales of 3.8 percent in the first half of the year, Audi is on track to set a new record for full year 2015. The Ingolstadt based automobile manufacturer already delivered 902,389 cars with the Four Rings in the first six months of this year (2014: 869,357). The A3 family and the SUV models Q3 and Q5 are particularly popular with customers worldwide.
Audi has already taken more than 2,000 new employees on board; with plans to recruit approximately 4,000 people in Germany alone by the end of 2015. In particular, Audi is seeking experts for alternative drive systems.
The automaker is also looking for digitalization specialists who will help make further progress in fields of Audi connect and the smart factory. Worldwide, it intends to expand its workforce with approximately 6,000 new employees by the end of the year.
In the full year, the company plans to deliver more brand volume than in 2014. A challenge in this context is that the economic environment features significant uncertainties. At the same time, advance expenditure is growing for new production capacities, innovative technologies and attractive new automobiles.
