So while BMW is showing off it's ugly, new crossover. Pics of Audi's stylish subcompact have leaked on to the interwebz. The concept's a hybrid using the 1.4 TSI, and a 27hp electric motor. The grille, and the rear are a bit fussy, but no doubt Audi will have them sorted come production time. I like it a lot...

Source: Autoblog

The red accents on the interior are such a great subtle touch. They didnt go overbaord and that really counts. Does anyone else notice the iphone looking device in the center console?

Probably is an iPhone. Which is kind of sad because for the original Metroproject A1 concept, they'd developed their own phone which also carried out a bunch of stuff for the car.

i don't like the back. looks too Fiat 500ish. but did anyone else notice the CoverFlow thing on the center console?

Meh just looks like another Audi put through the transconceptmogrifier.

Well, its either an iphone or an ipod touch, cause diesels right. That is a coverflow viewer on the dash. Its pretty cool i think, but would be distracting on the road.

Hey Toyota, suck it. Again. That's awesome. Who would ever buy a Prius over this?

That looks like a Q5 lowering chop gone bad.

Razor...it's a concept. Toyota itself has concepts which are far more awesome than the Prius.

Any concept is more awesome than the Prius, so that's not saying much. I'm saying if this makes it to production almost as-is, it's obviously going to be a better car than the Prius.

Of course, Toyotas conceps rarely, if ever, see the light of day. This'll go into production probably 85% as is.

Wouldn't an A1 be Yaris-sized (at most), not Prius-sized? Apples and oranges.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of this. It looks great from the front, but the side-profile is really awkward looking to me. I wouldn't necessarily call it ugly, but it definitely isn't beautiful either.

The Yaris isn't Hybrid Drive.

But people aren't going to cross-shop a subcompact luxury car and a midsize non-luxury car just because they're both hybrids.

I think its more accurate now. The reality though is hybrid is that next step the industry is going to take. I expect most models (that plan on making it the next 10 + years) will have a hybrid in its lineup, eliminating the need for shopping for hybrids, and going back to shopping for the style of car you desire.

I agree that hybrids are going to become a big deal in upcoming years. But even if someone is dead-set on a turbocharged engine, they're not going to cross-shop a GTI and a previous-generation XC70. The A1 and the Prius are the hybrid equivalents IMO.

The A1 isn't going into production as a hybrid. It'll be a Mini rival, maybe a hybrid will come later, but it's certainly not the primary focus as with the Prius.