Audi electrifies the A3 wagon (pictures)
In an unexpected marketing move, Audi changed its base A3 model to a sedan in the US, and will sell the A3 five-door hatch as the A3 e-tron, with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Audi will reintroduce the A3 five-door hatchback to the US in 2015, as a plug-in hybrid model.
The A3 e-tron stores an 8.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack under the rear seat, giving it 31 miles of pure electric range.
The engine is a 1.4-liter four cylinder, coupled to a 75 kilowatt electric motor.
Power control electronic in the engine bay help control output from the battery pack.
Audi hides the cars recharging port under the four rings up front.
The battery pack does not intrude into the cabin, preserving the car's cargo space.
The instrument cluster has a power gauge instead of a tachometer, and a center display with more detailed power information.
The center LCD shows a power flow animation, informing the driver when the car is using electricity or gasoline.
This screen shows different modes from Audi's Drive Select system.
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