2015 Audi A3 e-tron To Be Priced Under $60k In Australia

Audi Australia will launch the A3 Sportback e-tron into this market - its first ever plug-in hybrid model - priced at less than $59,990. This will have it slipping under the sticker price of the slow-selling Holden Volt.

Speaking with TMR at the local launch of the S3 Sedan, Audi Australia's Shaun Cleary confirmed that the A3 e-tron will arrive in early 2015, carrying a highly competitive price tag.

"It’ll definitely be coming in the first quarter of next year," Mr Cleary told TMR.

"The idea of it is that it’s a premium model and also a sporty model. We’re not talking about a car that’s just about efficiency," he continued.

"And so in terms of spec and pricing you’d be looking at something like S3, which the Sportback model retails for $59,990. Maybe even a bit under."

But though it will be priced under $60k, the A3 Sportback e-tron won't be challenging the $39,990 Lexus CT 200h for the title of "most affordable luxury hybrid".

However, its plug-in charging capability means the e-tron could conceivably be run exclusively on electric power forever - a party trick the Lexus can't replicate - provided owners never exceeded the e-tron's 50km EV-only range.