Audi A3: getting on, but getting green?
- New A3 1.9 TDI emits 119g/km
- Car will be congestion-charge exempt
- Engine revisions and low-resistance tyres
How do you boost sales for a car that's been around for four years?
A face-lift? Possibly, but that's expensive and doesn't always boost interest. You could lower the price, too, but that'll eat into your profit margins.
In today's environmentally aware climate, there's a better way - appeal to the car buyer's green nature. If they get tax breaks as well, even better.
Audi has done just that, and launched a more eco-friendly version of its smallest car, the A3.
The revisions amount to longer gear ratios, a few tweaks to the old 1.9 TDI engine and the fitting of low-resistance tyres - all easy and cheap modifications, but the 1.9 TDI's popularity looks sets to soar in the UK.
There's one key reason for this: tax. The old A3 1.9 TDI would have set you back £115 for a tax disc - this new version will cost you just £35.
Congestion-charge exempt
If you live in London, things are even better. The congestion charge looks set to change, so that any car emitting less than 121g/km of carbon dioxide will be exempt.
The new A3 puffs out a convenient 119g/km (down from 135g/km), so if you go into London every day, the new car could save you a whopping £2160 a year.
Thankfully, Audi hasn't tried upping the A3's price like its sister company, Volkswagen, did with its Polo Bluemotion. In fact, the standard model starts at £16,660 - £80 less than the old car.
Having said that, you could bank on haggling around £1000 off the old car before this model arrived. The likely demand for the tweaked version makes any discount look unlikely for a while.
Old dog, new tricks?
There's an element of 'money for old rope' about these old diesel cars with a few tweaks to bring them in under new carbon dioxide thresholds, but it's difficult to knock them if there's no price hike.
Along with the savings in tax and congestion charges, the more-efficient 1.9 TDI will also cost you less at the pumps.
The more out-of-town driving you do, the more you'll save, because you'll be taking advantage of the A3's longer gear ratios.
Even around town, the tweaked A3 will cover an extra two miles for every gallon of diesel, which makes it around 5% more efficient than the old version.
Ads by Google
What Car?
is brought to you by
Haymarket Consumer MediaWhat Car? is part of Haymarket Motoring
© Haymarket Media Group 2010
