Spy Shots: Meet the All-new Audi S3 Convertible with a Sleeker Booty, Four Seats and 296HP

The launch of the new generation of the Audi A3 in three door, five-door "Sportback" and S3 trims over the past year is only the beginning for the brand with the four-ring badge from Ingolstadt, which has more in store for the premium compact segment.

Last week, we shared scoop pictures of Audi's upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA-rivaling A3 four-door sedan, and now, our spy photographers have nabbed the first images of the open top version of the series testing in Europe.

And mind you, this isn't just any A3 Convertible but the range-topping (unless Audi surprises us with an RS edition) S3, as evidenced by the quad exhaust tips and the design of the air-vents on the corners of the front bumper, which are identical to the S3 hatchback.

Unlike the current A3 Convertible that’s shares its platform with the previous hatchback, the new model is based on the upcoming A3 sedan's longer wheelbase MQB architecture, something that will not only help improve rear passenger and luggage space, but also affords the car a sleeker look with more balanced proportions.

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First Scoop Shots of the New Audi A3 Sedan, will Compete Against the Mercedes-Benz CLA

After setting foot on the compact hatchback segment, Germany's premium car brands are now eyeing the sedan category, with Mercedes-Benz being the first to present its proposal in the form of the CLA sports saloon.

Even though Audi told us it would launch an A3-based sedan at the end of 2012, that never happened. Instead, we're now waiting for the premiere of the A3 Sedan to take place at a major international auto show in the coming months before it begins to arrive in showrooms at the end of the year or for some markets, in the first quarter of 2014.

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Spied: Audi Also Working on Sportback Version of New S1 Quattro

Back in the summer, our spies snooped out a three-door Audi A1 prototype in Europe, which we believed to be the future S1 Quattro. As it turns out, the Ingolstadt carmaker is also testing a five-door version of its pocket rocket, the S1 Quattro Sportback. Read more »

Scoop: What's Audi Doing with This Modified R8 GT on the Nürburgring?

Earlier today, our man with the long lens photographed what he described as a "strange looking" Audi R8 GT performing some test runs on the Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack.

The reason why the test car captured our spy photographer's attention is that, while based on the hardcore 2012 R8 GT of which only 333 units are to be made, it featured some visible upgrades, but not of the sort seen on the recently facelifted R8 series.

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Upcoming 2013 Audi A3 Sportback Illustrated Ahead of its Paris Motor Show Debut

On Wednesday, we told you about Audi's plans to blow the covers off the second member of its new A3 family of compact models, the five-door Sportback at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, and now, we gave give you an idea of what it will look like thanks to this rendering made by Khalil Bouguerra.

The artist shortened the front doors to create space for a second set of doors behind while also making the necessary changes to the roofline and the side windows, the styling of which is similar to the outgoing Sportback.

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Scoop: Next Audi RS6 Avant Rendered

Among the few station wagon models that have captured the imagination of gearheads is the Audi RS6 Avant series, especially in its most recent iteration built from 2006 to 2010 that used a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V10 engine related to the naturally-aspirated V10 found in the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo supercars.

Now, Audi is preparing a new generation of its RS6 Avant based on the station wagon body style of the latest A6 codenamed C7.

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Spy Shots: 2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet Put Through its Paces on the 'Ring

Audi engineers continue to rack up miles on the RS5 Cabriolet, a prototype model of which was captured on camera while testing on the Nürburgring circuit by one of our spy photographers.

The styling of the cloth-top flavored RS5 follows closely after the facelifted coupe model with a bespoke aero package comprising modified front grille and bumper designs, side skirts, swollen arches encircling 19-inch wheels and a new rear bumper incorporating a diffuser and the traditional RS oval-pipes.

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The Uninspiring Silence of an Audi R8 e-Tron vs The Screaming Sounds of a Pagani Zonda R at the 'Ring

Call us old fashion, but we believe that a sports car has to arouse all your senses with its acceleration, speed, handling, looks and of course, sounds.

The Audi R8 is by all means a sharp looking and handling automobile that will likely be fast even in e-tron guise, which is Audi talk for its pure-electric powertrain that uses two electric motors on each axle.

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