Audi may add smaller Q-car to SUV family | SUVs

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Audi may add smaller Q-car to SUV family

Written by Evan Powell

Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Big SUVs still have a place – albeit a shrinking one – in most car markets, but as the segment matures more people are seeking out smaller and more car-like vehicles that still offer the soft-road capability and ample room of an SUV. Audi is among the many car makers that have recognized this need, and to supplement their Q-line of vehicles, started by the Q7 and to be followed by the recently revealed mid-size Q5, the company is also expected to add an even smaller Q3.

The Q7 has been hugely successful in the premium SUV market. Though Audi hadn’t previously offered an SUV, its strong history in rally and off-road racing lent it the credibility necessary to enter the segment with authority. The Q5 crossover takes the Q7’s basic premise and scales it down a bit. The Q3 is expected to go even further, becoming essentially a compact SUV in the same class as the Toyota RAV4 or Honda's popular CR-V.

Like the Q5, it is expected to take cues from a previous Audi concept, in this case the Cross Coupe, which debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007.

Both three and five-door variants are expected with engines borrowed from the A3 hatch line-up. Expect to see a 147kW 2.0-litre TFSI engine, a 171kW 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 and a 210kW 3.6-litre FSI V6.

BMW is believed to be working on a similarly-sized vehicle to be named the X1 and Land Rover, too, has previewed its own version in the form of the LRX concept. Mercedes-Benz also took the covers off the all-new GLK recently but this model is more in line with mid-size SUVs such as BMW’s X3.

According to an internal Audi document leaked last December, the Q3 is due for a July 2009 global debut, which would mean a concept should be arriving either late this year or early in 2009. No word yet on Australian pricing or specifications, as it's still too far out, however we would expect it to be priced from less than $50,000.

Another, even smaller sub-compact SUV, rumoured to be called the Q1, could also be in the works, targeting smaller 3-door hatchback-based crossovers, along the lines of Volkswagen’s Cross Golf.

It's all part of Audi's master plan to become the world's leading luxury car brand by 2015. The company expects to boost sales from 2007's figures of 964,000 to 1.5m by launching a series of new models targetting every niche from Barina-sized small cars to high-performance Porsche competitors.

Audi Q3 rendering

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