From January 2, 1999, Audi in Australia will release its 1999 model year (MY99) A3 and A3 Turbo variants with a myriad of additional standard specifications designed to enhance the premium qualities of the already popular, stylish three-door vehicle.

The brilliant A3 Turbo will also boast a 10-stack CD player as standard plus remote central locking. Concert stereo system, front-side airbags and rear carpet floor mats.

All MY99 Audi A3 vehicles will also sport the same streamlined, integrated door handles as seen on the Audi A6.

A small price increase of $500 on the 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre Audi A3, and just $400 on the A3 Turbo will accompany the specification upgrade.

Matthias Seidl, managing director of Audi in Australia said the addition of such high-quality standard features would make the A3 even more attractive to customers.

The Audi A3 has proven very popular with Australian buyers due to its market-leading performance and design. This fact is reflected by our sales summary, which shows the A3 has exceeded our 1998 sales forecasts. Mr Seidl said.

"We have now added to these impressive characteristics by offering customers a higher specification level for minimal price increase. This ensures that the A3 continues to be a highly competitive and attractive package for potential customers," Mr Seidl added.

In September this year, Audi in Australia also introduced a new range of factory-fitted options available on A3 models including:

All naturally-aspirated A3 variants are available with a choice of six cloth upholstery colours designed to complement or contrast exterior colours depending on individual customer requirements. A3 Turbo models offer a choice of four interior upholstery colour options in the sporty 'staccato look. These options are available at no additional charge to customers.

The global demand for the A3 was demonstrated in May 1998, when Audi AG increased its production capacity for the premium compact by 20 percent by optimising the factory's production processes. This production streamlining effectively reduced the delivery period of the A3 in Europe to an average of three months.

Earlier this year, the Audi A3 passed the rigorous European New Car Assessment Program (EURO-NCAP) crash test with flying colours - achieving the highest possible score of four-out-of-four stars.

The A3 sets new standards of passive safety for this class of car by complying in full with all global safety standards and like all Audi models, the A3 is designed to withstand every kind of actual accident situation as effectively as possible including frontal, sideswipe, rear-end and roll-over crashes.

Within the bodyshell structure, the central occupant zone is immensely rigid, the floor and footwell areas have full-length side members and cross members under the seats and in the footwells. The centre body posts connect with the sills over a broad area and the doors contain high-strength side intrusion members for maximum occupant protection. The fuel tank is in a well-protected area ahead of the rear axle.

The structural safety measures on the A3 are accompanied by a high level of standard occupant safety equipment including: