Audi does not build many cars like the Audi A3: a 3 or 5-door hatchback / 4-door saloon with Petrol engine, built from 1996 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Dirk van Braeckel (1992).
How it came about
The Audi A3 is a small family car (C-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi AG since September 1996. The first two generations of the Audi A3 were based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, while the third and fourth generations use the Volkswagen Group MQB platform.
The hardware
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The wheelbase is A3 2513 mm / quattro & S3: 2519 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Audi's history is not in doubt: it was built at Ingolstadt. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Škoda Auto Škoda Octavia, the Lotus Elise, the Alfa Romeo 156. Its Audi stablemates include the Audi 200 and the Audi 225.
The money
On the used market today a Audi A3 typically changes hands for $13,300–$65,000, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $2,612–$6,667 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$3,420 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.
Audi A3 8L 
Audi A3 8P 
Audi A3 8V 
Audi A3 8Y