This is the Audi A3 cabriolet, the latest arrival in the third-generation A3 line-up, and it's an important model for the German manufacturer.
While not a mainstay of the firm's premium compact range, which now includes a saloon bodystyle as well as the existing Sportback, three-door hatch and hybrid model, it's a steady seller in the UK.
As with the latest A3 hatch, the new cabriolet is based on the Volkswagen Group's modular MQB platform architecture, and is powered by a range of updated but familiar and essentially off-the-shelf VW Group engines.
Measuring up the Audi A3 Cabriolet
At 4421mm in length, this version of A3 soft-top is slightly longer (by 183mm) than the model it replaces, as well as being 28mm wider (at 1793mm). However, with a 15mm reduction in overall height, from 1424mm to 1409mm, the new A3 cabriolet is more squat and purposeful-looking than before, and has what Audi describes as a 'coupé-like stance'.
Despite the increases in length and width, the A3 cabriolet is actually lighter than before, thanks in part to the new MQB architecture and aluminium-hybrid body construction (which includes an aluminium bonnet), and also to revisions to the range of engines. The body-in-white weighs 30kg less than before, and the entry-level model has a kerb weight of just 1440kg. The third gen A3 received a mid-life facelift in 2016, focusing directly on improved interiors, more standard equipment and a more defined exterior.