Audi A1 - not in the UK until late 2010

The new Audi A1 won't make it to the UK until the end of 2010

Audi has revealed that the A1 will not now begin production until 2010, and the first UK cars won’t be in dealers until late in the year.

The Audi A1 has been floating around, threatening to be big competition to the likes of the MINI and the Fiat 500 (and we may now have to add to that the Citroen DS3) for a long time. But we thought it was even closer than it now seems after the head of the Audi plant in Brussels – Alfons Dintner – said in July that production of the Audi A1 would start in October after a five week shutdown of the plant in August. But he was wrong.

Audi confirmed to Cars UK this afternoon that despite that statement last year production has not started on the A1 and won’t until the New Year. We will start to see cars in the second quarter of 2010 and they will go on sale in the 3rd quarter in Europe. Which means the UK will be lucky to get their hands on the Audi A1 much before this time next year.

But despite the ongoing delays, the Audi A1 does promise a lot. Audi are seeking to offer a MINI-like experience with endless options and models to choose from. Expect the three door A1 to show up first, with the 5 door Sportback soon after. We should also see the A1 Cabriolet at some point and even an S1.

And if Audi are intent on treading the path set by MINI there is probably no limit to what they could turn out under the banner of ‘Audi A1’.