An Audi A3 with "rolled up pants", despite being unprecedented, turns out not to be a big surprise. First, because the four-ring brand is not strange to cross the SUV genes with other types, as more than 20 years of Allroad vans demonstrate.
Second, after vans, Audi showed two years ago the A1 Citycarver, its first model with SUV/crossover genes other than a van, which opened up the possibility of more models in its range receiving the same type of treatment.
And that's precisely what we can see in these spy photos, where we have an Audi A3 with only its underside camouflaged, precisely where the visual differences to the other A3s we've already seen will be concentrated.
These differences are part of a well-known recipe: increased ground height and additional plastic protections around the bodywork to achieve the off-road look that is so appreciated in the market.
A3 Allroad, A3 Citycarver or A3 Cityhopper?
The biggest doubt, interestingly, lies above all about the future name of this Audi A3 "rolled up pants". Although the Allroad designation is the most recognizable, Audi did not use it to identify the A1's off-road-looking variant.
Instead, it used the designation Citycarver, justifying this decision with the fact that the A1 is only available with two-wheel drive, while all Allroad models have, obligatorily, four-wheel drive.
Will the same happen with this new version of the A3? The model we see in the spy photos is a plug-in hybrid (you can see the loading door behind the front wheel), and in Audi's A3 range, plug-in hybrids are all two-wheel drive. However, more engines are expected for this variant.
In other words, following the rule, this "rolled up pants" A3 should not be called Allroad, but Citycarver (like the A1) or it could even make use of a new name, Cityhopper, which has been advanced in several rumors.
But more recently, there have been indications that Audi could 'forget' its own rule and adopt the more recognizable Allroad name for this new A3. Furthermore, we know that the base of the A3 (MQB) is compatible with a second drive axle and it is still in the realm of possibilities to have an A3 Allroad with all-wheel drive, just like the Allroad vans we know.
All doubts will be cleared up in 2022 when the 'rolled up pants' Audi A3 is unveiled.