The Three-Door Audi A3 Will Soon Be No More
Reasonable-sized three-door hatchbacks seem to be dying out. C-segment stalwarts like the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Opel/Vauxhall Astra have all dropped their three-door body styles in recent years, and even smaller hatches like the Seat Ibiza and Renault Clio come only in five-door form.
By 2019, it looks like there’ll be another casualty to add to the list: the Audi A3. Autocar reports that Audi is “likely” to drop the three-door option when the next-generation A3 arrives. The five-door car may hand its ‘Sportback’ moniker over to a new, sleeker liftback model, while the saloon will grow to make its rear seat passengers a little less cramped and moody.
The reason for the death of the three-door version? No one wants it. When given a choice, it seems the modern car buyer would rather have the extra practicality of an extra set of doors, and it’s no different with prospective A3 owners, leaving demand for the entry-level three-door car low.
With Audi there’s also the added pressure of streamlining and cost-cutting in the continuing financial wake of VW Group’s emissions scandal, making culling the three-door version the obvious choice.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Hmm…early. Got nothing witty to say and wont even try, goodday CTzens!
That’s a shame… Personally I would prefer to have three doors over five. I’m planning on getting a three-door car for as my first car.
A potty, 4 and 5 door cars don’t interest me. Guess I’ll have to start looking at 2 door cars.
Noo :( three doors ftw
VAG used to be one of the few manufacturers to have 3Ds in production (Focus/Corolla/Civic etc are 3D no more for a long time)
Then they killed 3D Polo
Now A3
Please don’t kill the 3D Golf :(
Tbh I never found 3 door hatchbacks better looking than their 5-door equivalents.
Just waiting for them to kill the 2 door Chiron.
.
And replace it with a 4 door Chiron to scare as many people as possible at a time.
Nooooooooooooo
I think the 3Dr A3 has always been better looking. Hence why I own one. Who want’s a 3Dr S3? Personally think it looks so much meaner in the 3D layout.
Such a shame. Better make sure I have an S3 by 2019 then!!
The problem is that a lot of people buy new cars already with resale-value in mind.
And 4 doors just factually are a bonus on the used car market.
Wtf that’s not good the best variant for the s3
It’s true 3 doors look better for photos but would I buy one? No. My days of getting out of the car to let passengers in are over.