A full set of official photos of the upcoming generation of Audi’s A3 hatchback were spilled onto the web today affording us our best look at the new compact car before it heads over to the Geneva Motor Show for its world premiere.

These pictures reveal the three-door hatchback variant, though Audi is planning to expand the range with the five-door Sportback, a two-door convertible and for the first time ever, a four-door saloon based on last year’s A3 sedan concept.

On the outside, despite having a slightly more aggressive front boasting Audi’s new family face with the six-point grille and “angrier” headlamps, the new A3 could easily be mistaken for a facelifted version of the current model.

However, this is not the case as the Audi A3 is the first production model in the VW Group to use the company’s brand-new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) vehicle architecture, which will underpin most new VW Group cars including the Golf Mk7.

We expect the A3 to get a fresh line of engines that should include the VW Group’s new 1.4-liter TSI with cylinder deactivation technology straight from launch.

As for the interior, the A3 sports a very clean and stylish layout with minimal use of buttons.

Though we remain short on official details, at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Audi told us that among the many features introduced in the new A3 is an electromechanical parking brake and the next generation of Audi’s MMI infotainment system, with the controls for both systems located on the center tunnel console.

We’ll try to get more information on the A3 so stay tuned on Carscoop.

Hat tip to Bruno Miguel P. S. Rodrigues for the find!

Story References: Zr

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