Audi Australia is launching the third-generation Q3 small SUV later this month, and the brand hasn’t ruled out bringing a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option Down Under.
Speaking at the local unveiling of the next-gen model, Audi Australia product planning manager Peter Strudwicke said that while no PHEV was available here at launch, the overseas Q3 e-hybrid (Audi’s in-house PHEV branding) was very much on the radar of the brand’s local arm.
“At the moment, we’re still under evaluation. We haven’t yet made the final decision, there’s a business case and so on,” he told CarExpert.
“There’s certainly more interest in general than there was for alternative powertrains, and we’re taking that into consideration.”
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At launch, the new-generation Q3 will be available with three powertrains across SUV and Sportback body styles. At the bottom of the range is a new ‘110TSI’ 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 110kW and 250Nm, mated to a mild-hybrid system, a first for the Q3.
This sits below the ‘150TSI’ with its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 150kW and 320Nm, while at the top of the range is a ‘195TSI’ tune for the 2.0-litre engine, bumping outputs to 195kW and 400Nm. Both 150TSI and 195TSI powertrains do without electrification.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a mild-hybrid in the Q3, so some customers are comfortable just with the mild-hybrid technology. We obviously do have the e-hybrids in the A5 and the Q5, which we’re launching shortly,” Mr Strudwicke said.
“Part of what we’re doing is just assessing what the real response to that is, and that will inform our future product decisions and how much we really focus on those drivetrains going forward.”
With those three powertrains immediately available, Mr Strudwicke reaffirmed that Audi is currently “pretty comfortable with the model range”.
“We’ve got three engines in all body styles this time; previously, we only had two engines available, so we’re happy with the launch mix. Any variants on top of that, we’ll evaluate as they become available for us,” he said.
At face value, it seems the addition of a Q3 PHEV wouldn’t be prohibitively difficult. The Volkswagen Group’s MQB Evo platform, on which the new Q3 is based, already supports several PHEV models that are either currently on sale or soon to be on sale in Australia.
These include the Cupra Terramar VZe, Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid, and Volkswagen Tayron eHybrid, all of which utilise a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder PHEV powertrain with total system outputs of 200kW and 400Nm. This is the same powertrain fitted to the overseas Q3 e-hybrid.
The Tiguan, Tayron, and Skoda Kodiaq Select PHEV are also available with a 150kW/350Nm powertrain.
Of course, Audi Australia already has a small selection of PHEVs on sale in Australia. These include the A5 Sedan and Avant (wagon) e-hybrids, and the Q8 TFSI e, with the potential to introduce further models like the Q5 e-hybrid.
On the other hand, there’s been no word yet on a new generation of the hotted-up RSQ3, despite Mr Strudwicke outlining that the new Q3’s 195TSI tune is almost getting “up towards ‘S’ levels of performance” with its 5.7-second 0-100km/h time.
For context, the related Audi A3 produces up to 150kW and 320Nm, while the hotter S3 produces 245kW and 420Nm and can reach 100km/h in 4.7 seconds.
The first-generation RSQ3 is in runout, and shares the iconic 294kW/480Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine with the Audi RS3.
When asked about whether it was feasible to expand the next-gen Q3 range with additional performance-oriented variants, Mr Strudwicke said “there would be scope to do that”.
“Anything in that space is something that would appeal to Australian buyers, so if such a powertrain were to become available, then we’d definitely be interested in taking it,” he said.
