Not everything in Frankfurt will be automotive pornography. Audi even in its home country will be showcasing fuel-efficient versions of the Audi A4 and A3.

These aren’t really new developments, they’re just clever use of what they already have in their parts bins and make their existing cars better.

For the A4, they took the 3.0L TDI from the Q7 and crammed it into the A4’s engine bay. Mated to a 6-speed triptronic and quattro system, the A4 now gets 35 mpg and 0 to 62 comes in a not too shabby 6.2 seconds.

The new A3 will get a turbocharged 1.2 TFSI 4-cycliner engine. The engine generates 105 hp and a max torque of 129 lb-ft. While these don’t really get you anywhere (0 to 62 mph comes in 11.1 seconds), you can probably deal with its slowness with a 43 mpg rating.

Audi has confirmed that it will be developing a hybrid powertrain for the multi award-winning A3 small family car, in conjunction with the Volkwagen TwinDrive program that will produce the VW Golf hybrid.

At the center of the powertrain for the hybrid A3 is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that is good for 105 bhp. The diesel engine is backstopped by a 30kW electric motor driving the front wheels and two 30kW in-wheel electric motors to drive the rear wheels. Given this configuration, the A3 becomes a four-wheel drive under electric power and for short runs.

TwinDrive technology will help the hybrid A3 gain efficiency of “over 113 mpg”, according to Audi. The top speed is pegged at 106 mph. Electric power is sourced from a lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the boot’s floor. The battery can be recharged by energy gained from braking as well as by the main engine.

There are still no tentative dates for the A3 TwinDrive, although sources say that fleet trials could start by 2012.

Many gearheads love summer driving and it’s probably one of the best reasons to get a soft-top. So that when the sun’s high and there’s open road to cover, you can simply get the top down and enjoy the breeze. Audi seems to be beefing up its fleet recently and they seem to be doing a pretty good job dishing out cars to hit every conceivable market. The Audi A3 Cabriolet is their offering for those looking for a soft-top compact.

The new Cabriolet gets the same engine line of the A3 and A3 Sportback which includes the 157.81hp 1.8 TFSI gasoline, the 197.26 2.0 TFSI gasoline, the 103.56 1.9 TDI and the 138.08 hp 2.0 TDI with common rail piezo fuel injection. To make the choices more interesting, Audi can mate the engine to either a five- or six-speed manual (depending on the trim) and for all models (save for the 1.9 TDI), the S-tronic twin-clutch tranny.

Standard are 16-inch alloy wheels, power windows and mirrors, a Chorus radio with single CD drive, climate control and semi-automatic hood operation. Other options for upgrades (like 17-inch rims) depend on trim levels and extras.

Granted that Audi isn’t exactly your common person daily drive, there is some premium to the badge. The A3 Cabrio comes in 2 trim levels (Sport and S) with MSRPs ranging from £20,750 to £27,060.

Source: Audi

The base Audi A3, which currently sports a 1.6L, will ditch it for a 1.4L turbo. While the engine got smaller, it will still dish out 125 hp, 10 more than the 1.6L. Those added horses will make the A3 accelerate a but faster, hitting 100k/h in 9.6 seconds, a second quicker than the old one.

As for fuel economy, the A3 will still get 36.5mpg (US figures). The Volkswagen Group has been pushing its forced induction engine strategy of late. We’ll be seeing just a bit more of these smaller engine displacement engines with turbos replacing other engine models.

Source: Motor Authority