Audi will present the S3 Sedan in Shanghai in 2013

The German brand is set to unveil the new three-box bodywork of the A3 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in just a few days. The compact family thus grows with a variant better suited to North American and Asian tastes. But according to sources at the British magazine Autocar, it seems Audi still had an ace up its sleeve kept for this A3 Sedan.

The A3 Concept prototype that Audi brought to the Geneva Motor Show in 2011 was not only a preview of the design of the new generation. It was also the basis for a supposed four-door S3 that will take shape at the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show in April 2013.

The English publication claims that this bodywork will share the same 300 CV turbocharged 2.0 engine and the same all-wheel drive as the three-door S3. It will also keep the 4.5 metres in length of the new conventional A3 saloon. And knowing Audi’s conservatism, its styling will not stray far from that of the S3 we already know.

What is actually most interesting about this model is that, behind the brand’s message that it aims to reach even more affluent customers in China or the United States, there lies a curious race. It is the one Audi is running against Mercedes-Benz, as the Ingolstadt company has got its act together to be the first to enter the high-performance compact saloon segment. Shortly after, the Mercedes CLA45 AMG will make its appearance, a scaled-down CLS with the mechanics of the A45 AMG. Now… will the saying “he who laughs last laughs best” come true?

Source | Autocar