As in previous years, the second press day at the New York Auto Show is the day the World Car of the Year award is announced. Following the VW Golf last year, the 2014 winner is another member of the VW Group that shares the same platform – the Audi A3 premium compact. The A3 has been voted by an international jury panel comprising 69 top-level automotive journalists from 22 countries around the world.
The third generation of the Audi A3 surpassed 23 other cars, including the BMW 4-Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion / Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.
“The Audi A6 was the first ever winner of this award and we are delighted that the Audi A3 has repeated that achievement by being voted 2014 World Car of the Year. The Audi A3 showcases Audi’s technical competence in all aspects of carmaking, not least in the areas of lightweight technology, drivetrain, mobile infotainment and driver assistance systems,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG.
The new Audi A3 is available as a three-door, five-door Sportback, Cabriolet and Sedan. It is powered by a range of TFSI gasoline and TDI diesel engines. The A3 Sportback is also available as a gtron, which can be operated using e‑gas generated by Audi, natural gas, or gasoline. Later this year, the A3 Sportback will also be available as an e‑tron plug-in hybrid.
The first-generation Audi A3 launched in 1996, inaugurating the premium compact class. The second-generation model arrived in 2003 and added a Cabriolet to the familiar three-door and Sportback body styles.
By Dan Mihalascu
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