Surprise new Audi A1 for South Africa – Pricing and specifications

Audi has launched the A1 Black Edition in South Africa, which comes as quite a surprise.

Last year, Audi confirmed that it had a host of special-edition models in store for our market encompassing the A3, A4, Q2, Q3, and Q5 Black Editions and Urban Editions, however, it made no mention of a specially curated A1.

It quietly added the hatchback to its roster earlier in September whilst slimming down the A1 line-up to just two specifications, down from the previous five.

As such the A1 Black Edition now proudly plays the role of the flagship option at a starting price of R585,950.

What you get

The Black Edition treatment brings several cosmetic and functional upgrades to the hatchback at standard, giving buyers a more stylish option at an appealing price point.

Standard kit on the city car is made up of automatic LED headlamps and taillamps, five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels painted black, a contrasting roof in Mythos Black or Manhattan Grey, black mirror caps, and black finishes in the front and rear bumpers.

The engine power designation on the tailgate – in other words, the “35TFSI” badge – is also removed for a sleeker look.

Inside, the special-edition A1 brings Sports seats wrapped in fabric/leatherette as opposed to the standard fabric chairs in the Advanced trim, accent surfaces in Silver Grey Diamond, and polygon dashboard inlays in Slate Grey.

It also comes with the Park Assist with Parking Aid Plus package, which detects open parking spaces via front and rear ultrasonic sensors and steers the vehicle into the space while the driver controls the accelerator and brakes.

These fittings are on top of what is already included in the base A1, the highlights of which are a leather multifunction steering wheel, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.8-inch infotainment display with voice recognition and smartphone mirroring, eight speakers, hill-start assist, six airbags, and rain-sensing wipers.

The A1 Black Edition sources power from a 1.0-litre, turbocharged petrol block with a maximum potential of 85kW and 200Nm.

Twist is sent to the front axle via a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic shifter, with the compact hatch capable of reaching 100km/h in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 203km/h.

It returns a frugal fuel spend of 4.8l/100km and features a standard Start/Stop system for maximum propellant savings.

All versions of the hatchback, the Advanced and Black Edition, are equipped with sports suspension, too.

Price

The South African pricing and revised model line-up for the Audi A1 are as follows:

• Audi A1 Sportback 30TFSI Advanced – R523,200
• Audi A1 Sportback 30TFSI Black Edition – R585,950 (new)

Each purchase is accompanied by a 1-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and 5-year/100,000km maintenance plan.