欧州では既に販売しているので、来年春頃には販売開始でしょう。
BMW Mini,Alfa Mito,Fiat 500対抗車です。
欧州での価格は、
・1.2 TFSI S line 3dr £16,805
・1.2 TFSI SE 3dr £13,420
・1.2 TFSI Sport 3dr £15,260
・1.4 TFSI S line 3dr £17,215
・1.4 TFSI S line S tronic 3dr £18,665
・1.4 TFSI Sport 3dr £15,670
・1.4 TFSI Sport S tronic 3dr £17,120
・1.6 TDI S line 3dr £17,865
・1.6 TDI SE 3dr £14,480
・1.6 TDI Sport 3dr £16,320
となっています。
日本で販売されるのは、
・1.4 TFSI Sport S tronic 3dr
・1.4 TFSI S line S tronic 3dr
あたりだと思います。
価格は、240万円程度ではないかと思います。
インプレッションは以下をご参考に。
With record sales figures and possibly the strongest product line-up on sale today, the four-ring folk within the VW group can seemingly do no wrong. When Audi entered the supercar market with the R8 it silenced almost all critics. It was an astonishingly capable first effort. No doubt Audi hopes its new baby - the A1 - will follow with similar acclaim.
For starters this isn't its first effort in the small car market. Back in 1974 Audi launched a small two door hatch called the 50. A year later the same car was rebadged as a VW Polo. Crucially cheaper, it massively outsold the more expensive 50. Thirty two years later there is a component-sharing deja-vu taking place; the A1 is based upon VW's fifth generation Polo - the current 'Car of the Year'.
Solely available as a front-wheel drive three-door hatch, the A1 has BMW's Mini, Alfa's Mito and Fiat's 500 in its sights. Looking more like a sturdy coupe than a hatch in profile thanks to a TT-esque roof silhouette there is a line from angry headlamps right along each side and around the bootlid. Don't come here expecting anything retro. Like Citroen's DS3, the A1 isn't relying on nostalgia trips for sales.
What this four-seater does bring to the table is that ubiquitous Audi DNA of reassuringly heavy doors, tactile controls and sheer comfort. Audi claims the dash is modelled on aircraft wings (with 'jet engine' air vents) and the centre console around a ship's stern, but in reality it's not that flamboyant. By pilfering from its portfolio of switchgear and flagship tech, it feels like being behind the wheel of an A3, A4 or A6. Which is no bad thing. This is something manufacturers have been trying to achieve for years in the blossoming premium small car market.
The A1 will be available with one diesel and two petrol four-cylinder engines. Order a diesel and you'll have to settle for manual transmission, but you can get the glorious S tronic 7-speed twin-clutch 'box on the petrols. This not only speeds up acceleration, but also improves the mpg. Our choice is the significantly spritely 1.4 TFSI.
Despite featuring an almost identical electric differential (that uses an ESP system to reduce wheel slip) as with VW's Golf GTI, the Audi's rear suspension isn't the same calibre as the Mini's. Audi appears to have dialled it in for passenger comfort and maturity more than out-and-out frisky frolics.
This is not a risky car for Audi and it is not the most exciting car in its class, but what the A1 does do is bring typical understated style and luxury to a car under four metres long. Four adults can travel inside without being escapologists, and there's a 270-litre boot to house their gear. Fold the seats down and there's 920-litres of space to fill.
The bottom line is that, judging by current badge snobbery and desirability, the A1 will sell handsomely. It can be ordered with LED running and rear lights, a 60 gigabyte infotainment system and 14-speaker Bose audio system - the kind of toys rarely seen on cars of this stature.