Audi won’t be launching the new A3 hatch until 2009 at the earliest but until then we have these renderings of the new car, which show the next-generation A3 is likely to adopt the more aggressive lines that we’ve seen in recent spy images of various Audi models. The most dramatic change over the current model are the new slanted headlights and a much sleeker profile that leads to the TT-style rear. Taut side panels, reminiscent of those seen in spy pictures of the upcoming A5 coupe, give the car a much more muscular and streamlined look.

The new A3 will be available in both three- and five door configurations, but a new coupe and cabriolet model will follow soon after the release of the hatch. Expect most of the current engine options to carry over, including the sporty S3 model complete with a 265bhp (195kW) version of the 3.2L V6. Audi is also believed to be developing another sportback Avant model, as well as the small Q3 soft-roader that will be based on the same platform as the next A3.

Like the current A3, the new model will also share its underpinnings with its cousin, the Volkswagen Golf, also due for replacement by 2009. This means the A3 misses out on Audi’s latest modular platform being developed for the next-generation A4 due early next year. However, the new hatch will sport the latest version of Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system as well as a revised six-speed manual, ‘multitronic’ continuously variable transmission or the S-tronic DSG dual-clutch system in some models.

Audi confirmed at a press event at its home in Ingolstadt in 2006 it would launch a 2+2 cabriolet version of the current A3 in 2008 in the lead-up to the new model. This drop-top model as well as a new coupe version will be in direct competition with BMW’s upcoming 2-series range of models. The final production version is scheduled to be unveiled at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.