A1 Sportback 35 TFSI

STORY

The Audi A1 is the brand's smallest and most affordable model, a premium supermini launched in 2010 to take Audi into the B-segment against rivals such as the MINI. Developed on the Volkswagen Group's PQ25 platform shared with the Polo Mk5, the first-generation A1 (Type 8X) paired a compact three-door body with Audi's design language, a high-quality cabin and a signature contrast-colour roof arch, quickly establishing itself as a style-led premium small car.

The range grew with the practical five-door A1 Sportback in 2012, and Audi widened the engine choice from frugal 1.2 and 1.4 TFSI turbo petrols and 1.6 TDI diesels to a twin-charged 185PS 1.4 TFSI. In 2014 the flagship S1 arrived, a 231PS 2.0 TFSI with quattro all-wheel drive, a genuinely quick and unusually rare AWD hot hatch in a class dominated by front-drive rivals. A 2015 facelift added a new three-cylinder 1.0 TFSI and updated styling and technology.

The second-generation A1 Sportback (Type GB) launched in 2018 on the newer MQB A0 platform and was offered only as a five-door. It grew in size, adopted sharper styling with Ur-quattro-inspired bonnet slats and a fully digital cockpit, and moved to a petrol-only TFSI line-up topped by the 200PS 40 TFSI. With no diesel, no quattro and no S1 this time, the A1 settled into its role as a purely front-driven, design-focused premium supermini and Audi's entry point into the range.