Audi A1 readying for launch in China, to be priced from 220,00rmb and rising
The Audi A1 has already hit the market in certain Western countries, but it has yet to take to the roads in China, but thanks to a material leak it appears that the A1 will be hitting Chinese roads in mid October.
The A1 sits on the PQ25 platform which is already shared with the VW Polo which itself is already made in China, the A1 will be imported with the 1.4TSI used in the VW Golf which should make it quite the potent little car when launched, the A1 will be targeted mainly at young affluent urban buyers who have around 220,000rmb to burn – yes, the quoted price for the A1 in Chinese auto media outlets is 220,000rmb or 22,000 Euros. Then again, BMW’s MINI range starts at a similar price and you don’t get the same amount of torque until you start reaching into the Cooper S range, so then again, the A1 seems to be a bargain on four wheels.
With an October launch date likely, the Audi A1 will be first imported into China but there is the off chance that Audi will put the car into production in the Chinese market.
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Did this launch earlier than planned? There’s a red one parked in the underground parking of my apartment complex tonight. Looks pretty good, better than I expected actually.
Not yet! I saw a couple in Beijing last week too, although VAG HQ is over in San Li Tun so it is no surprise that they are all over BJ already.
That red A1 was gone the next morning when I went out, I wanted to get some photos.
I forgot to mention that this one had a front plate that read “Audi A1″, and no rear plate, so it was probably headed for the dealer showroom.
I did spot an R8 in the same underground parking a year or two ago, so perhaps someone from VAG HQ lives in my apartment complex.
This truly is a beautiful looking car, I saw on on display in Kuala Lumpur during the summer – very striking and MUCH better looking than the MINI or even the BMW 1 series. Without a doubt my favorite Audi, and even the price isn’t outrageous – hope it’s a big success.
Jon, I agree with you (the 1-series is fugly). I’m thinking now that the A1 might make a good upgrade to the wife’s Fiesta (which in actuality is mine) in a year. Yes, it might be pricey here compared to Europe, but it seems to offer a lot of fun for the money (in addition to the 1.4t engine, it’s got a 7-speed DSG). Also, this will be an import, so that somewhat justifies the higher price.
Gonna go read some reviews…
Buy the Polo GTI and save yourself some money.
Yes that would be the “smart” move, but the Polo is very boring to look at. Let’s wait and see what the Polo GTI gets priced at, and if it includes the same performance bits.
The Audi A1 is in Germany not very sucessful. It is far behind the prospected sale goals. The price is to high as it is more a Polo than an independent brand.
That doesn’t matter here in China. As long as it has the AUDI logo on the grill people will buy it here.