BIG news from Audi this year is the arrival of a long-awaited small car to rival the MINI. Based on a concept that won acclaim at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the German firm's first take on upmarket mini motoring is called the A1. Due to arrive in autumn, the three-door model uses running gear from the Volkswagen Polo. The base version will have a 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine and other versions are expected to offer 1.6-litre diesel power. Elsewhere in the range, latest technology benefits look set to keep Audi riding high among the big-selling premium brands. Thanks to the addition of gadgetry that cuts out the engine during traffic stops and starts it up again when the accelerator is pressed, models in the A3 range are now at the top of their segment for efficiency and economy. Standard on all versions equipped with the two-litre TDI motor, the equipment boosts economy by more than 8mpg to 64.2mpg and a 16 per cent reduction in tailpipe emissions means the three and five-door cars also turn in exhaust figures as low as 115g/km. Also brought in to save fuel is gadgetry that recycles some of the kinetic energy generated during braking. Usually dissipated as heat, this is now stored in the battery to reduce the engine load when the car accelerates again. Even lighter than the aluminium car it replaces, the top-range A8 uses a new eight-speed automatic transmission and energy recuperation for higher economy and lower CO2 emissions. And in three-litre diesel form, another version of the flagship car will use stop-start technology to offer the lowest exhaust emissions figure in its class. Priced from £54,760, the car has reworked petrol engines boasting between 13 and 23 per cent better economy but an extra diesel version with two-wheel drive combines 204PS output with 47.1mpg average economy. | 
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