When a car is as popular as the Audi A3, there's a lot of pressure to get each next generation just right.
Exactly like the car it shares VW's MQB platform with, the Golf Mk8, Audi's objective is to retain all the attributes which consumers already love, but evolve the car enough to keep in step with new market trends and pressures to reduce fleet CO2 emissions.
Early spy shots have been emerging over the last few months, and soon we'll be one of the few titles to drive a camouflaged prototype of the fourth generation of the A3, but until then let's have a look at what we know already about Audi's mega-selling family hatch.
What will it look like and what models can we expect?
Audi has confirmed the A3 Cabriolet won't make a return due to poor sales, and at launch the A3 will come in five door guise only. It's unlikely the three door will return, but we'll have to wait and see. The saloon body will follow the hatchback, arriving by the end of the year, and in 2021 we expect to see an A3 coupe, to rival the Mercedes CLA.
There will also be an A3 Allroad version, which will ride higher than the standard model and be licked in plastic cladding in all the usual places: wheel arches and so.
The A3 is set to grow slightly in size, just like the new Golf, with a longer wheelbase freeing up more passenger and storage space.
Early spy shots of an A3 mule without its camouflage seem to show a chrome strip running the entire length of the car, as well as slimmer LEDs and the same geometric grille already found on the A4.
Interior and tech
On the inside, the new A3 is expected to look very similar to the Q3, with a 10.1-inch central touchscreen and a second 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument display. Connectivity will be improved, and there will be a suite of autonomous functions, such as a motorway driving assist and autonomous emergency braking.
Image: Audi Q3
Engines
Here's where it gets complicated. For an idea of the petrol engines, we have to look once again at the A3's sibling, the Golf, which has a range of petrol 48v mild hybrid units. There will be 1.5 litre petrol engines in both 128bhp and 148bhp states of tune, as well as a 187bhp 2.0 litre petrol.
There will also be three diesel options, ranging from 134bhp to 201bhp. A plug in hybrid version is also in the pipeline, using the same powertrain as the Golf GTE, which will offer around 31 miles electric driving.
Then there's the S3, which comes with Quattro as standard and is expected to produce up to 325bhp from a four cylinder 2.0 litre petrol engine. The RS3 will also make a return, which is expected to produce 417bhp with the help of an electric motor. Whether it will retain the signature Quattro 2.5 litre five cylinder engine is yet to be confirmed, with some rumours suggesting the RS3 will use the same 2.0 litre unit as the S3, only in a higher state of tune. Let's hope not.
How much will it cost?
As VW Group's premium arm, the A3 has traditionally cost a bit more than the VW Golf, and more still than the SEAT Leon and Skoda Scala.
The current model starts at £22,725 so we can expect the new one to be well north of that, especially when you consider the recently launched Golf now starts at nearly £21,000: VAG will want to keep that healthy divide.
If we were the gambling type we would say expect to pay around £25,000 for the entry point A3.
Keyword: Audi A3 2020: What we know so far ahead of reveal in Geneva