Efficient Audi and BMW Models Earn Top Awards

One year after its unveiling at the New York International Auto Show, the new 2015 Audi A3 sedan (shown above) returned last week to take top honors as World Car of the Year.  Redesigned for 2015, the A3 was recognized as the most well-rounded new entry in the small luxury sedan market, boasting a superior blend of fuel economy, style, comfort and performance.

“It might borrow styling hints from its bigger brothers, but the A3 still offers classic, chiseled contours and even better interior trim levels,” wrote the World Car Awards jury. “With a superb choice of engines and four body styles, the A3 range packs a hefty premium punch in the small luxury segment.”

The diesel A3 TDI gets 35 mpg combined—30 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway—according to the EPA. The more prevalent, gas-powered A3 gets 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, for a combined 27 mpg.  Audi also unveiled the next-generation 2016 A3 Sportback which, it announced, will be available with a diesel TDI engine just like its four-door sibling.

The World Car of the Year awards also recognized the new BMW i3 electric city car in both the Green Car and Design of the Year categories. After debuting in Europe in November, the i3 goes on sale later this year in the United States, with BMW already announcing that it will raise production targets for the car by more than 40 percent—due to higher-than-expected pre-orders.

The i3 is a triumph of modern, lightweight automotive design, and is the first mass-produced car in the world to use carbon fiber in its frame. Not only is the material lighter than steel, its strength allows the i3 to eliminate the pillar between its front and rear doors. 

Thanks to these weight-shedding efforts, the i3 will be capable of a range of 80 - 100 miles despite its relatively small battery.  The car can charge completely in just 3.5 hours, but if more range is needed, an optional gasoline-fueled engine adds another 80 or so miles of range.

“Radical in looks, construction, and powertrain, the BMW i3 is one of very few clean-sheet-of-paper cars designed from the ground up for efficiency, with the different needs of the new century's megacities in mind,” said the jury panel.  The i3 begins deliveries next month, at a starting price of $41,350.