3.2 quattro Sportback US

STORY

Announced in 1995 and launched for Europe in September 1996, the first-generation Audi A3 (Typ 8L) marked Audi's return to small cars after 19 years, following the demise of the Audi 50 in 1978. It was the first premium-segment compact hatchback, effectively inventing a class that rivals rushed to imitate.

Initially offered only as a three-door to give it a sportier image and to distinguish it from the related Volkswagen Golf, the A3 brought Audi build quality, quattro availability and, in 2004, the world-first turbocharged direct-injection (TFSI) petrol engine to the compact class. Hugely successful, it opened Audi to a younger, broader audience and spawned hot S3 and RS 3 versions.